The Real Gunsmoke Blues Part II
by Net Girl
Summary: Cowboy Bebop & Trigun crossover. In a last ditch effort to destroy humankind, Knives treks into the past. Vash, as well as Meryl, is dragged along for the ride.
1. To Battle Without Honor or Humanity

Rating: PG-13 - curse words, adult themes.

Summary: _Cowboy Bebop_/_Trigun_ crossover. In a last ditch effort to destroy humankind, Knives treks into the past. Vash, as well as Meryl, is dragged along for the ride.

Spoilers: If you haven't seen every episode/session of both series' and still read this fic, don't cry to me when you get spoiled!

Disclaimer: _Cowboy Bebop_ characters belong to Sunrise, Bandai Entertainment, Shinichiro Watanabe et al., and their many, many well-paid lawyers. _Trigun_ characters belong to Yasuhiro Nightow, and his many, many well-paid lawyers. I am NOT making any money off this, nor am I trying to infringe on anyone's copyright. Believe that.

Song Disclaimer: Song titles (used as chapter titles, ala _Cowboy Bebop's_ session titles) are used without permission. Probably not a sue-able offense, but you gotta CYA (cover your ass) nowadays. Proper credit will be assigned, just in case.

Authors' Notes: In the CB-verse, the story is very AU, with 12 years between present day and when the series itself actually took place. In the _Trigun_-Verse, it's the beginning of the final episode of the series.

I honest to God hope that no one is horribly out of character, either.

I'd like to thank Leah for beta'ing for me. Again. If this fic sucks, I blame you! Again.

Questions, Comments, Suggestions: Send to donnacsoprano76 AT gmail DOT com. All flames are read, laughed at then deleted with extreme prejudice.

"The Real Gunsmoke Blues Part II" By Net Girl

Chapter One: "To Battle Without Honour Or Humanity"

Vash stared down the barrel of his gun, into the intense blue eyes belonging to his brother, Knives. As did Knives, Vash pointed his weapon in the middle of his sibling's forehead; his other hand gripped the revolver carriage of Knives' gun. He couldn't figure out how things had deteriorated to this point. A standoff. A situation with very few outcomes, all of which demanded that one of them be dead.

_So ... it's come to this, brother?_ Knives' voice filled Vash's mind as he connected with him telepathically. _For what? For **them**? For **her**?_

_No. For **you**_.

In what felt like slow motion, each tripped open the cylinder and the ejector rod of the other's gun, which sent bullets and empty shells into the air between them. At the same time, both grabbed a live round, slammed it into the cylinder before snapping it shut, then aimed at the other again.

_Don't make me do this._ The fear was as apparent on his own face as Vash's. Sweat poured down his forehead as he breathed hard and watched Vash closely, waiting for the next move.

_I'm not making you do anything. We have free will. Remember?_ Vash's finger curled around the trigger of his silver-plated gun. He sensed the next action from Knives before it even happened. He squeezed the trigger, and so did Knives.

Both guns fired a single shot.

* * *

Meryl Stryfe froze in her tracks when she heard the sound of guns firing simultaneously, her weariness from her long journey immediately forgotten. The woman's eyes widened. On the near horizon, she could see that bright red coat - Vash. He fell backward onto the ground.

_No!_ she thought, panicked.

She'd gone against her better judgment and Vash's request to stay behind until this business with his brother, Knives, was finished. She couldn't, though, no matter how much she tried to convince herself it was for her own good. Her deep concern and love for the man drove her into the wasteland to find him. Now she had. And he was in trouble.

Fear kept her feet rooted in place. She could only watch in muted horror as the scene continued to unfold in the distance. The confrontation had taken a turn for the worse. With a surprised gasp, Meryl shielded her eyes when a grand mixture of white and black exploded before her. She lowered her arm as the brilliant light faded away. The small green oasis Vash and Knives had been in was gone. Completely vanished. A deep crater and the two brothers was all that remained.

Her mouth hung open. This one of the few times when Meryl Stryfe was at a loss for words. In that instant, the story Vash had told her before he'd embarked on his mission became _real_ to her. That reality terrified her more than anything before in her life.

* * *

Vash collapsed onto the ground, exhausted after he'd canceled out the second blast from Knives' own powerful weapon. Once Vash's arm reverted to normal and his hand held onto the grip of his regular gun, he aimed at Knives.

Knives' arm returned to its natural state. In better condition than Vash, he managed to fire five shots after he'd reloaded his black gun. When Vash pulled the trigger of his gun, only an empty click followed. He'd just had the one shot left in his weapon and he'd used that before they'd switched to their other guns.

Knives delivered a vicious kick to Vash, which knocked his brother flat onto his back and relieved Vash of his gun as well. He easily snatched Vash's gun out of the air and, before Vash's dazed eyes, used it and his own gun to transform both of his arms into their special weapon.

"I could kill you right now," Knives called out as the guns' glowed while he charged them. The smile on his face became more wicked as he aimed both guns at the ground below his feet. "But why should I do that when I have what I need to eliminate those who truly deserve it?"

Vash propped himself up on his elbows, confused by the turn this fight had taken and by what Knives intended to do. Then, he noticed it. Along the edges of the crater they'd created earlier, some form of machinery was below them. His panic rose. What vile plan did Knives have this time?

"Let's go back together! You can watch me destroy them all!"

Laughing maniacally, Knives fired both guns into the ground. A low rumbling followed then a cylinder of glimmering light that matched the circumference of the crater shot into the air, engulfing both of them and everything around them.

* * *

"Vash!" Meryl continued to run towards the light. _That looks so familiar! Where have I seen such a thing before?_ she wondered as she increased her speed. "Vash!"

The cylinder of light collapsed down into itself and it was then that she remembered where she'd seen this before. A few years ago, when Vash had helped four people from their past return home - the crew of a spaceship oddly named the **Bebop**.

When she reached the edge of the glittering portal, she skidded to a stop. Her breath caught in her throat when she found no trace of Vash or Knives. Her eyes traveled the radius of the swirling disc and she noted the machinery along its edges.

_What did he do? Devise a way to make his own portal? Of course, he did, stupid! Why else would it be here?_

Her lips pressed together when she realized what it could mean. What if he'd managed to cut himself a path into the past? She knew from Vash's story that Knives wanted nothing more than to destroy the entire human race. Perhaps he'd decided to do it in another place. Why had he waited for Vash to come all of this way, though? Why take the one person who could stop him along for the ride?

The portal started to become unstable and that snapped Meryl back to the present. She didn't have time to go back for Milly or tell her associate what had happened. This was a decision she had to make and make now. Closing her eyes, she stepped forward and plunged into the portal. Her terrified shriek was cut off seconds later when it snapped shut, revealing the ingenious machine Knives constructed to create it.

A hot wind whipped across the barren desert landscape and tossed dust and sand into the cavern below. The three of them had disappeared. And no one would ever know where - or _when_ - they'd disappeared to.

* * *

The portal established itself in mid-air when it materialized on the outskirts of a battered city on another planet. A moment later, Knives, followed directly by Vash and the large cross that had once belonged to Nicholas D. Wolfwood, dropped hard onto the ground. During the trip, Knives' arms had returned to normal and he lost both of the guns upon impact with the ground.

Vash's eyes opened, slowly. He lay face down on a semi-grassy patch of land. Soon, he focused on something glittering in the sunlight a few feet from him - his gun. Not far away, Knives, dazed by his own rough landing, uneasily pushed himself into a sitting position. His gaze locked onto his black gun then quickly searched out its silver twin. He found it laying near his also awake brother.

A shrill screaming came from the portal above. They looked up just as it spewed forth Meryl Stryfe. The young woman landed on her face, her feet almost touching the ground by her head. Groaning, her lower body snapped back until she lay flat on her stomach, stunned by the psychedelic trip through time and subspace. A second later, the swirling disc exploded out of existence.

Knives used the distraction as a chance to grab his gun. Before Vash could make sure that Meryl wasn't seriously injured, he noticed Knives making a move for his weapon. Diving forward, Vash snagged his own gun up from the ground and somersaulted as he cocked the hammer. When he came to a stop, he was flat on his back, his gun pointed at Knives just as Knives aimed down at him.

Breathing hard, Vash glared at Knives who towered over him with a triumphant smirk on his face. Neither one moved a muscle. They had themselves another standoff. However, this time, Vash's eyes occasionally flicked in Meryl's direction. He was surprised to see her fly out of that portal. She was supposed to be back in town, with Milly.

_What the hell is she doing here?_ he couldn't help but think. He outwardly cringed, his grip on his gun tightening when he saw that Knives had 'heard' him.

Placing a hand to her forehead, Meryl sat back on her feet. Her head throbbed and she felt the warmth of her own blood trickling down the right side of her face. Blinking, she gasped lightly when Vash and Knives - guns aimed at each other - swam into focus before her. She instinctively reached underneath her coat for one of her Derringers but she froze, unsure of why.

_It seems I have you at a disadvantage,_ Knives thought as his grin became more cruel. _Why should I shoot you when I could do the superior beings of this universe a service by killing **her**?_

For the first time since their battle had begun, Vash smiled. _You're out of bullets, brother._

An eyebrow quirked. Knives wasn't fazed by the 'comment'. _So are you ... brother._ The gun in his hand began to morph as Knives called upon the true power he held within himself.

"Oh no ..." Meryl whispered, realizing what was about to happen. She began to crawl away from the two of them. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she let out a cry of terror when she saw Knives turning that black glowing "gun" on her.

_No!_ Vash thought as his own arm transformed._ I won't let you do this to me again!_

Before either one had the chance to fire, their attention was drawn to the blue sky above them. A high-pitched whistling steadily grew louder. Neither could locate the source of it ... until it was too late. A rock, about twenty feet in diameter, slammed into the ground no more than 100 feet away from them. The force of earth meeting rock created a powerful, concentrated concussion explosion, which knocked Vash and Knives apart. Each landed on the ground, hard, several dozen yards away from each other.

Meryl covered her head as dust and small bits of detritus rained down on her. She opened her eyes. Neither Vash nor Knives moved. Shakily, she stood up and forced herself to walk forward. As she neared Vash, she saw he was sprawled upon Wolfwood's cross, almost as though someone had displayed him. His arms rested on each portion of the T and the rest of his body lay neatly down the spine.

"Vash?" She dropped to her knees beside him. He didn't look well at all - that last blast, combined with his previous fight, had taken so much out of him. The briefest thought that he might not survive crossed her mind. "Oh God ..." she murmured as she buried her face in the palms of her hands.

"He won't help you."

She gasped at the sound of Knives' voice behind her. She turned at the waist and looked up at the other blond. His cold, blue eyes glared down upon her with a hatred she'd never seen from another being. Before she could utter a syllable, she was violently struck upside the head by the barrel of Knives's gun. The woman fell forward, across Vash's body, and she didn't move again.

Knives snapped open the cylinder of his gun, reloaded it then jerked his wrist to close it. He pointed the barrel at Meryl's head, pulled back the hammer and smiled maliciously. How devastated Vash would be when he awoke to find this lowly, useless parasite he cared so much for dead.

His gaze shifted away from his intended victim and rested on Vash's face. After a moment, the gun lowered to his side, the hammer uncocking as his thumb shifted it back into place. Resting on one knee, Knives picked up Vash's gun, then he gently put it on his brother's chest.

_Why only take **one** when I can take them** all** from you? Maybe you'll finally realize how right I am ..._

With that final thought, Knives stood then stepped over the unconscious couple and headed for the city on the horizon. It was time to eliminate the human race. The two he'd left behind would never be able to stop him. Not here. Not now. When they eventually woke, they wouldn't know where to begin in trying to find him. Not until he wanted to be found, at any rate.

Chuckling, Knives paid no mind to the faded sign at the side of the crumbling highway which read:

'Calcutta - 30 Kilometers'.

* * *

Back on Gunsmoke , Milly Thompson held tightly to the reins of her thomas as it galloped across the vast stretch of desert land. She'd waited in the nearby town for hours and still no sign of either Mr. Vash or her superior. Terrified, she feared the worst.

Her chest tightened at the though of possibly having lost them as well. The evil brother of Vash, Knives, and his cohorts had already taken more than enough from her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered that day, not so long ago, when Nicholas Wolfwood died. She'd told Meryl she was absolutely fine, but she was far from it. Even_ her _high sense of optimism couldn't find the silver lining in losing someone she loved. What good came from death?

Her eyes widened when she saw a massive black crater in the ground ahead. What could've caused such a thing? Once she was close enough, she reared her thomas to a halt and slid from the saddle.

"Ma'am!" she called as she ran towards the edge of the she neared, she found out exactly how deep it went into the ground. Some sort of cavern was beneath, the surface here and around it had collapsed in on itself. "Mr. Vash!"

Milly skidded to a stop then gazed down into the gaping hole. It was at that moment she discovered _all _of its secrets. Someone had collected various spare parts from the old spaceships and assembled it into ... what, she didn't quite know. A massive metal circle followed the circumference of the crater perfectly. She knelt down, brushed her fingers over it and leaned forward.

"Ma'am? Mr. Vash?" she yelled as she cupped her hands around her mouth. The only response was the hollow echo of her own voice. Sitting back on her heels, she felt the hope of finding her friends alive slipped away. "No ... not them, too."

Should Milly Thompson have been more familiar with the old technology, she would've recognized the striking resemblance the metal ring bore to the machinery of days gone by - a time when the circular object constructed out of junk before her was called a "hypergate".

* * *

End Chapter One.

Song Title Used: "To Battle Without Honour Or Humanity" - Tomoyasu Hotei

* * *

To the readers,

Almost exactly a year to the day, the sequel to the crossover begins! Hope you dig. Also, I apologize if the formatting is off. I'm using a new word processing program and I'm not quite used to it yet.

Your author,  
Net Girl.


	2. Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This O...

Chapter Two: "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"

Spike Spiegel ducked behind the couch when a book was hurled at him. Carefully, he peered over the back of it at Faye Valentine, who searched for something else to throw. The woman definitely needed to learn to control her temper.

"I can't believe you're screwing me out of my share of that bounty, Spike!" Faye yelled. She found an empty plate beside Ed's computer and threw that at the back of the couch. "Half of that 2 million woolongs is mine! We agreed on an even split before we started!"

Ed cowered behind the couch with Ein. Somehow, she'd become caught in the crossfire - wrong place, wrong time kind of thing. Still, she'd never seen Faye this angry over any bounty before. A million woolongs was nothing compared to the last couple bounty-heads they'd snagged. She flinched when something shattered against the far wall. Her gaze shifted over to Spike crouched beside her.

"Faye-Faye's really mad, Spike," she sighed. She pressed her back against the couch as Faye threw another object.

"Come out! Or are you afraid to face me?"

"'Mad' is an understatement," Spike muttered. He glanced up when something thumped against the couch. "If you'd quit throwing crap, I'll consider it!" he shouted in response.

After a few seconds, the clattering on the opposite side of the room ceased. Spike and Ed exchanged a glance then, slowly, both rose to their feet. Ein whined as he peeked around the couch at the far end.

Faye, hands on her hips and a foot tapping impatiently against the floor, stood on the other side, glaring. Her hair was disheveled, and she was winded and sweaty from her all-out offensive. Her eyes narrowed even more as Spike raised his hands in surrender.

"Are you calm?"

"Calm?" She would've laughed if she weren't so pissed off at him. "I'm barely hanging onto 'in control' right now, Spike." She glanced at Ed as the girl climbed over the back of the couch. "I put in just as much time and effort as you did on Frank Connors. You agreed to 50 before we ever started. I held up my end of the bargain. _Now. Give. Me. My. Money_."

"You misunderstood me when we made that deal," he answered. He lowered his hands. "I never said that you were in for 50, no matter what. I said you had to provide useful information this time. Pistol whipping the guy doesn't earn you a million woolongs, Faye."

"You're a _liar_! You agreed!" Her hands balled into fists. "You didn't say anything about providing leads! You said as long as I fairly contributed, which I did, so you give me my half!"

Ed lifted her goggles as she looked from Faye to Spike. Sighing, she dropped them back down and continued to click away on her keyboard.

This was business as usual on the **Bebop** since they'd returned from Gunsmoke almost two years ago - Spike and Faye, continually at one another's throat. She kept out of the way while Jet negotiated the peace accords. Unfortunately, Jet had affairs to sort out on Ganymede, so for the last three days, they were alone. And a usual fight had escalated into _this_.

"Don't get mad at me because you didn't understand what I said," Spike shot back. He'd had enough of her psychotic female behavior for the month.

Growling, Faye snatched up the last book within her reach and flung it at his head. Spike didn't see it coming and when he did look up it was too late. The spine of the book cracked him nearly square in the nose. As his hands flew to his face, Faye leaped onto the couch and grabbed him by the jacket with both hands.

"Quit holding out on me!" she shouted as she violently shook him. If she had to, she would kick his ass and _take_ the damn card. She'd earned the full two million by this point, in her opinion. "Give it to me!"

Spike's hands left his nose and clamped around each of Faye's wrists. "Just for that, you're not getting a single woolong!"

"I should've aimed somewhere other than your head! I keep forgetting it's empty!" She lost her balance as she fought to free herself from Spike's grip. She lurched forward. Her sudden movement caught Spike by surprise and he couldn't stop himself from falling backwards. With a loud thump, the two of them crashed hard onto the floor behind the couch.

Ein hopped onto the back of it and peered down at the two with a curious gaze then barked twice.

"Ow ..." Faye groaned as she pushed herself up. She then realized that she was on top of Spike, who was flat on his back and still dazed by their tumble. Her face lit up with a devious grin when she saw the card sticking out of the inner pocket of his jacket. She reached for it, but her grin disappeared as Spike seized her wrist.

"Don't even _think_ about it," he warned. As Faye moved to grab the card with her other hand, he caught that one by the wrist, too. Once he had both, he rolled her onto her back and pinned her wrists to the floor.

Desperately, she struggled to free herself. He had her at a disadvantage. Underneath all of his body weight, she couldn't move. Then another part of her didn't mind her predicament ... much. "Let go! Get off of me!"

He smiled slightly. "Say you're sorry."

"No!" The more she fought, the tighter he clamped his hands around her wrists. She felt her fingers going numb. "If you don't get off of me, Spike, I'm going to hurt you!"

He leaned closer and dropped his voice to almost a whisper. "That didn't sound like an 'I'm sorry' to me."

"_GET OFF_!"

Jet Black entered the room and came to an abrupt halt when he saw the state of the area. It looked as though a war had taken place while he was gone. Everything that wasn't nailed down was strewn all over. He sighed as he figured out what must've happened - Spike and Faye, naturally.

"Get the hell off of me!"

With a raised eyebrow, Jet regarded his two colleagues on the floor. He wasn't sure he even wanted to know the explanation behind this. He dropped the bag that was slung over his shoulder onto the floor. When it thumped, Spike and Faye looked in Jet's direction.

"I missed something,"he flatly greeted them.

Faye used the distraction as her chance to free one of her arms. Before Spike could stop her,she laid a nasty right cross to his jaw, throwing him into the back of the couch. Cursing under her breath, she crawled from underneath him then focused her attention on Jet.

"He's trying to screw me out of a million woolongs!" she declared, pointing an accusatory finger at Spike. "You were there! You heard what he said!"

Jet sighed heavily. _I should've never come back_, he thought. He shook his head. _No. If I didn't come back, I'd have lost my ship._

"You misunderstood me!" Spike shot back as he rubbed his jaw with his fingers. His looked to Jet. "You could back me up on this at _any_ time, you know."

And now Jet was firmly in the position he always was lately - stuck in the middle. After the trip he'd just had he wasn't in the mood for their childish bullshit. He stared at them for a few moments before he closed the distance between them then extended his left hand to Spike.

Confused, Spike glanced from the hand to Jet himself. "What?"

Jet wriggled his fingers. "The card. Give it to me."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

He eyed Jet with a certain amount of suspicion, then reached into his jacket pocket, removed the card and placed it into Jet's outstretched hand. "I don't know what's so difficult to understand about this," he mumbled. "I did most of the work."

As soon as the card was in his possession, Jet closed his hand into a fist. Spike and Faye watched in complete shock as the card was reduced to bits of plastic and microtechnology before their eyes. Casually, Jet overturned his fist, opened his hand and let the remnants of 2 million woolongs flutter to the floor.

"There," he said as he brushed his hands together. "Problem solved."

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Spike exclaimed when he finally found his voice. "That was 2 million woolongs, for Christ's Sake!"

Faye, however, was on her knees, leaned over and scooping up the remains into her hands. She watched the pieces trickle between her fingers and back to the floor. "I can't believe you did that," she blankly murmured. "It's gone ... all gone ... "

"_Why did you do that?_" Spike was on his feet now, in Jet's face.

Jet stared at his associate without pity. "You're not arguing over how to divide it anymore, are you?"

"No, because you _destroyed_ it!" He pointed to the floor.

Faye sighed as she pressed two pieces together. "Maybe we could _glue_ it?" she half-heartedly suggested.

"It's only fair!" Jet gestured to the room that the two of them had wrecked.

Spike stared, at a loss for words. Jet had trashed 2 million woolongs because he was pissed about a few broken plates and a mess on the floor? Maybe Faye wasn't the psychotic one on the ship after all.

"Jet! Spike! Big money bounty from Mars!" Ed called out, drawing the attention of the three adults.

Faye sat back on her heels, peering over the back of the couch at Ed. "What kind of money are we talking about here?"

"20 million woolongs!"

"_20 MILLION_?" Faye scrambled over the back of the couch and landed on the floor beside Ed. "Well, come on! Tell us what you have on this guy!"

"Not a guy, it's a girl!" Ed replied as she clicked through the rest of the offenses attributed to the bounty head.

"A woman?" Spike sat on the arm of the couch as he leaned forward, trying to get a better look at the computer screen.

"What'd she do?" Jet asked as he came around on the opposite end of the couch.

"Extortion. Stole a lotta money from a big corporation on Mars," Ed answered. She continued to click the keys, reading the information on the screen via her goggles.

"Which one?"

"Phoenix Corporation."

Spike sat up straight. "Are you sure?"

Jet and Faye both looked to him. His entire manner had changed in an instant.

"Yep, yep!"

He knew that corporation. It was a front for the Red Dragon Syndicate, which also served as the headquarters for their ringleader - Vicious. This was the castle that his one-time brother had barricaded himself inside and from where he ruled his empire with an iron fist for over ten years.

"Spike?" Jet raised an eyebrow, the concern for the younger man in his voice. "What is it?"

"Ah! Found a picture! Ooo, pretty lady!" Ed's fingers came to a halt and she slowly lifted her goggles as she gaped at the computer screen. She knew this woman. Her gaze shifted up to Spike, an expression of confusion and sympathy on her face.

"What?" Faye glanced from the monitor to Ed, then Jet, who also regarded Spike with a sympathetic expression. "What's going on?" Her gaze shifted over to Spike. "Do you know her?"

Without even acknowledging he'd heard Faye's question, Spike rose to his feet, shoved his hands in his pockets and, with a bowed head, he shuffled out of the room.

Faye glared at Spike's retreating figure. "What's with Broody Boy?" she grumbled as she turned to Jet. She frowned when he just shook his head sadly in response. "Come on! I'm the only one here who's out of the loop."

Ed bit her lower lip as she glanced from the woman on the screen to the doorway Spike had passed through only a moment ago.

"Move." Faye shoved the girl aside as she leaned over to get a better look at the screen. Her scowl was replaced with surprise. Her eyebrows arched in confusion. "Julia?" Her jaw clenched then she turned on the couch, casting her own concerned look in the direction of the doorway. "But I ... I thought she was ... _dead_?"

* * *

In the darkened room, Spike gazed out of the window upon the bay in which the **Bebop** had been parked for the last three days. The lights from the city reflected off of the surface of the water and gave it the illusion of grand shimmer. He shoved his hands deeper into his pockets as he let out a long, heavy breath.

He'd worked so hard over the last two years to come to terms with the loss of the one thing he cared to remember from his past. He'd blocked the image of her from his mind and forced himself to accept the fact that he'd never see her again; at least, not in this world.

Opening his half-closed eyes, he pulled his hands from his pockets then drew his gun from the holster underneath his jacket. Holding it in both hands, his thumbs stroked the metal, which was semi-warm from his own body heat. His thoughts turned darker as the fingers of his right hand curled around the grip then he clicked the safety off.

More than a dozen times in the last two years, Spike stood in this very position - gun in hand - while he contemplated waking himself up from his own nightmare. He had little reason to remain a part of this dreamscape. Many times, he'd attempted to confront Vicious, but the level of security he'd put into place was impossible to penetrate. He couldn't just walk through the front door.

"You aren't doing what I think you are, are you?"

Jet's voice made Spike's head snap up and he turned around. The other man stood in the doorway; the light from the corridor silhouetted the ex-cop's frame and distinguished his bionic arm from the rest of his body by adding a glimmer not unlike the water in the bay to it. He clicked the safety back on.

"What do you think I'm doing?"

Jet approached, his features becoming clearer as he neared. He glanced at the gun in Spike's hand. "Man finds out there's a 20 million woolong bounty on his supposedly dead girlfriend, then stands alone in a dark room with his gun drawn ... what should I think?" He stopped a foot away from the other man. "I never took you as the kind to entertain such an idea. To die by your own hand."

"I died a long time ago, Jet." He gazed at the gun in his hand; his fingers gripped it tighter. He shook his head then looked out of the window again. "I thought that when I found her, I would be resurrected."

"So ... I've been working with a corpse for five years?" Jet bore no sarcasm or hint of humor in his tone. "I have to disagree with you there, Spike."

Spike scoffed, mildly amused. "You didn't know me before ... I was different. My purpose in life ... was death."

"And then you changed. You don't have to die in order to be reborn."

Spike lifted an eyebrow as he looked to Jet. "You haven't been talking to those Jehovah's Witnesses again, have you?"

Jet briefly narrowed his eyes. Always, Spike had to make a goddamn joke when it was a time to be serious. "When you left them, that was your resurrection. You don't need her to bring you back. You did that for yourself."

He shook his head. Jet couldn't understand. This was something else entirely. Instead of continuing the discussion, he slipped his gun into its holster.

"What does it mean?" Jet asked after a minute of dead silence between them. He accepted the cigarette and light offered to him. He took a drag as he watched Spike light up his own. "Who did it and why?"

"It's a message." Spike snapped his lighter shut and tucked it back into the inner pocket of his jacket. "From Vicious." He met Jet's curious gaze. "He knows I'm alive."

"Why place a bounty on her?"

"His sadistic way of twisting the knife, I suppose," he muttered. He exhaled a cloud of smoke as he shifted his attention back to the window. "He knew I would see it."

"So he's baiting you?"

"He's giving me a choice. Disappear again or end up like her."

"Why would he give you a choice?"

Spike took a long drag from his cigarette then removed it from his mouth. He studied the smoldering end of it before he answered. "It's not really a choice when he already knows which decision I'll make."

Jet's brow furrowed once he figured out what Spike meant. For a moment, he considered punching Spike in the face. Yet that probably wouldn't knock any sense into him, so why waste the energy? "A chance at life is handed to you, you just don't shirk it. I told you two years ago that killing him won't change anything."

"I remember," he quietly replied. He remembered that day in the alley, when he'd finally caught up with Paul Saverem, and that little girl of his - what was her name? Ramona - who turned out to be his guardian angel. He clearly recalled her face as she begged Spike to spare her father's life.

'No excuse is good enough to snuff out the divine spark of another human being'.

Vash's words echoed through his mind as he contemplated on whether or not to kill the man or grant him his life. No, it was more than contemplation; it was a struggle. Then, in that moment, Spike believed Vash's words. Now, Paul Saverem was who knew where in the universe and living happily with his family.

"You can live your life here, Spike," Jet continued when Spike made no indication he would speak any further. "Despite the property damage and the cost of taping you up after an ass kicking, you're a pretty useful guy." He half-smiled when a scowl appeared on Spike's face. "Besides ... I'd probably miss you after a while. Not much. But enough for it to irritate me."

"Mmm." He nodded a bit as he took the last drag on the cigarette. "Anything's better than being stuck all alone with Faye forever, I suppose." He looked at Jet with an actual smile on his face now.

Jet laughed. "Yeah. You have a point." He shook his head, still grinning. "I wonder what she'd say if she heard that?"

"Why don't we ask her?" Spike turned slightly and called out over his shoulder, "Can you hear everything out there, Faye?"

Outside of the doorway, the woman gasped in surprise then narrowed her eyes before she stepped into their view. "I heard enough," she snapped at the two grinning men. Her hands rested on her hips. "And maybe_ I_ wouldn't want to be stuck all alone with _you_, Jet. Did you ever think of_ that_?"

He gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "You're free to leave whenever you want," he casually replied. "Nothing's holding you here."

Slowly, her expression changed from one of anger to sadness. Her gaze shifted from Jet to Spike, who'd gone back to staring out of the window. She never could figure out how she was able to love a person and hate him so goddamn much at the same time. But that's what it was with Spike. Why didn't he ever see? The little things went unnoticed. Even if she did something drastic, she doubted he would notice that, either.

"The both of you can kiss my ass," she muttered then headed down the corridor.

Jet lifted his eyebrows. "What's her problem?"

"Who knows? She's Faye." Spike snuffed out the cigarette on the windowsill then looked to his colleague. "Are you finished here?" He was eager to leave. Too much time spent in one spot made him antsy these days.

Jet nodded. "Any place in particular you wanted to go?"

"Anywhere but Earth, Jet. Anywhere but Earth."

* * *

End Chapter 2

Song Title Used: "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" - The Smiths

* * *


	3. Apocalypse Please

Chapter Three: "Apocalypse Please"

Knives stopped by one of the old newspaper dispensers lined up in front of a deserted, half-"bombed out" office building. The wind blew lightly, flapping the long red coat he now wore around his legs, but he didn't notice that. He'd been exploring this town for the better part of an hour (his search also provided his newest article of clothing), yet he found little answer to two pertinent questions - when was he and where were all of the people?

He yanked on the handle of the machine and easily busted it open. Carefully, he removed the severely yellowed newspaper from insideand studied it. He recognized the language for this paper. Unlike the ones in the other dispensers, this was English.

The headline heralded the end of the planet Earth with the destruction of its only moon, the result of an explosion in space. Apparently, a new technology, for the people of this time period, anyway, a hypergate had malfunctioned. The force of the explosion reduced the moon to bits of rock. Now, those left on Earth were under constant stress, fearful of being crushed by the falling debris.

It served humankind right. To believe that they were capable of controlling the very essence of space and time, to create a wormhole for their personal use, it was disgusting. As he had so long ago on the Project SEEDS ship, the universe fought back against the human plague and wiped out a good portion of them in retaliation. He let the paper drop from his hands and flutter to the ground, where it was quickly picked up by the dry wind and carried down the empty street.

He looked to the sky. The rock that had nearly killed him and Vash earlier was from the universe's revenge. His eyes scanned the buildings - some were leveled by fallen rock, some had deteriorated on their own - then he fully realized where he was.

_Earth._

He drew in a deep breath then made a face as though he smelled something foul on the wind. Humans still polluted the area. He couldn't see them, but their stench was unmistakable.

"Hey! Who the hell're you?"

Knives' eyes flicked open when he heard a man's voice address him. And rudely. Shortly thereafter, he heard the click of a gun being cocked. Casually, he turned towards whoever was stupid enough to speak to him. Behind him, he found four young men. All of them were armed, but only one, the one who'd spoken, he assumed, had a weapon drawn.

"I'm talkin' to you. Are you deaf?" demanded the blond in the middle. He didn't directly aim his gun at Knives, but made it clear he wouldn't hesitate in using it.

"No, I'm not," he evenly replied.

"Then who are you? What're you doin' here?" The man eyes Knives warily. The black gun strapped to the stranger's leg made him highly uncomfortable. He caught sight of it again as the breeze forced the long red coat open once more. His hand regripped his own weapon.

"Who am I?" Knives smiled, amused by the question. "You want to know who I am?" His eyes gleamed with a twisted perversion. "I'm the one who is going to save the universe from you useless resource consuming trash."

The man with the gun glanced over his shoulder at the three with him. Was this guy serious? He sounded like it. If that were the case, he must be crazy, too.

The expression on Knives' face darkened when he heard laughter erupt from the group of humans before him. "You shouldn't do that," he warned, his tone cold. How dare they laugh at him? The one who was their superior in every way imaginable?

"Oh really?" spluttered the leader in between laughs. "And what are you gonna do about it, pretty boy?"

The man's laughter, as well as the others, was cut short by three rounds being fired in rapid succession. The leader gasped when the bodies of his companions dropped into a pile at his feet. Each bore a single gunshot wound in the center of his forehead. Hands shaking, mouth hanging open in horror and shock, the last man standing looked to Knives. The blond in the red coat wore a sadistic grin on his face and held a smoking black gun in his hand.

"Wh-who ... are ... y-you?" the young man whispered when he finally found his voice.

"Vash ... the Stampede." Knives glared at the man as his arm began its transformation into a much more destructive weapon. He watched the terrified piece of garbage back away, stumbling over his own feet. "Run. Tell the rest of your worthless, sickening kind that their days are numbered. Time ... is running out."

With a frightened shriek, the man pivoted on his heel and took off in a flat run. He didn't care about the extreme possibility that a piece of moon rock could smash him into the ground. All he wanted was to survive whatever this psycho planned to do. Tossing his gun aside, he willed himself to run even faster. He didn't stop running, even after he managed to escape the city limits.

Back in the center of the city, Knives closed his eyes as he aimed his most powerful weapon in his war on humankind at the ground beneath his feet. He hesitated when he saw a flash of Vash's face in his mind. Only for a brief moment, though.

_No one can stop me, Vash. Not even you._

He fired.

* * *

"Rem!" 

Young Vash watched as the door to the escape pod slid shut, separating him from the most precious person in his life. He saw her smiling face through the crack ...then she was gone. Forever. Her last words to him resonated in his mind.

"Vash ... take care of Knives ..."

"Rem ..." he whispered.

Slowly, his eyes opened and Vash stared up at the ceiling of a room he did not recognize. From elsewhere in that room, he heard a woman's voice softly singing a familiar song - _her_ song. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to sit up in bed. One hand absently rubbed at the back of his neck as he scanned one side of the room. A single bed, in which he currently lay, a window covered with a tattered cloth as its curtain and a table, where a few things he recognized sat, were all he found.

He looked down on himself. He was naked to the waist with a blanket draped over his legs. _Where am I?_ he wondered. He remembered Knives, the gunfight, the mysterious portal ... then their appearance on a strange planet. "Meryl," he said, suddenly recalling that she had come through that portal, too.

Across the room, Meryl startled when she heard Vash gasp her name. She'd had her back to him as she worked to repair the damage done to his coat. Placing the garment aside, she rose to her feet as she turned around.

"You're awake," she greeted with an uneasy smile. When he didn't respond, she picked up a glass of water from the nearby table and brought it to him. "You've been asleep for almost two days." She watched him drain the glass of its contents. "How do you feel?"

Vash stared at the tattered cloth fluttering in the gentle breeze coming through the open window. He wasn't certain about how he felt. He'd failed to do what he'd intended to with Knives. Nothing turned out as he'd planned. Whatever Knives' scheme was, Vash couldn't sort it out. Why did he bring them ... here? Wherever _here_ was?

"Where are we?" he quietly asked as he looked to Meryl.

Her mouth quirked slightly. He'd made it a point to avoid answering her question, now he changed the subject. She took the empty glass from him then went back to the table cluttered with their personal items. She kept her back to him as she bowed her head. "We're on Earth ... of the past."

"The past?"

"Yes." Her head lifted and she shifted her gaze to Wolfwood's cross, which was leaned against the wall near the table. "We're at an orphanage run by a Sister Clara." She placed the glass on the table and turned around. "A few of the children found us two days ago. Unconscious and close to death from what I understand. We were very lucky."

"How long have you been awake?"

"Since yesterday." A hand absently brushed at the nasty bruise left behind from her encounter with Knives' gun. "I ... I thought you might never wake up." A pause. Her lips pursed. "Vash ... the other day ... what was - "

"Where are my clothes?" he interrupted as he climbed out of bed. He placed a hand on the wall to steady himself. He wasn't fully recovered, obviously. Only marginally rejuvenated by the water Meryl had provided upon his waking. "I'm fine." He waved her off when she took a few steps towards him, concerned. "I ... I just need my clothes."

She sighed then retrieved his things from the corner of the room. As she handed them over, she tried to look him in the eyes. But he wouldn't allow her. Shaking her head, she went back to her chair and sat down as he dressed. If he wanted to act like this, she wouldn't push. They had bigger problems, ones that concerned her slightly less than Vash's emotional state.

"Do you know how far back we've gone?" Vash inquired as he glanced in Meryl's direction.

"We're in the year 2083." She shrugged and picked up his coat from the floor. Her fingers traced over the fresh stitching she'd finished only moments ago. "I'm not sure where that is in relation to our own time." She bowed her head slightly. "Do you know?"

As he finished with his gloves, he glanced at her. "A long way. At least a thousand years."

"At least?" she repeated as she turned in her chair. After he nodded, she sighed heavily. "Why did he_ do_ this?"

"It's pretty obvious."

"I _know_ what he _wants_ to do," she shortly replied. Pausing, she turned back around in her chair, staring at Wolfwood's cross. "Why did he bring you with him? You're the only person who could possibly stop him. It doesn't make sense."

"The why doesn't matter." He stopped by her and took his coat from her hands then gave it a once over. Meryl'd done an impressive job in repairing the damage done. "He's not going to do anything if he's here. If that were so, he would've by now."

Meryl bit her lower lip as she watched Vash put his coat on. "Uhh ... " She didn't know how to tell him that Knives wasn't a guest of Sister Clara and her orphans. He'd been so relaxed and pleasant in the last five minutes, she didn't want to destroy that.

"What?" He saw the expression on her face. "What is it?"

She averted her gaze. "He's ... " Her voice dropped to a faint whisper. "... not here."

"_He's not?_"

She flinched. "He was gone by the time the children found us." She flinched again, when Vash slammed a fist into the wall behind her. It had surprised her as well. He was never prone to violence, of any kind. "I'm ... I'm sorry."

"Two days ... " He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the wall. His hands clenched into fists as he pressed them against it. "He could be anywhere by now." His eyes flew open as another revelation hit him. Suddenly, he whirled around and searched the table filled with their personal items. His gun was there. Knives', however, was not. Any color that had returned to his face drained away. "He has his gun."

Meryl looked from the table to Vash. Until just then, she'd not realized the danger of that fact. The story he'd told her, not long ago, about those weapons his brother had created and the terrible destructive power they bestowed upon them.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

Meryl jumped when Vash's shouting voice broke into her thoughts. She rose to her feet, slowly, and fought to retain her control over her emotions. "You needed the rest," she calmly replied. "You were pretty badly battered when they found us. You ... you could've ... died."

He grabbed her by the upper arms and gripped her tighter than he should have. "He'll kill every single human being in this time period! Don't you understand? If I don't stop him, who will? Who ... can?"

"Well, you certainly can't stop him if you're dead!" she shot back. While Vash was momentarily surprised by her fiery response, Meryl wriggled free of his grasp. Her eyes narrowed. "Which is what you would've been had you gone after him in your state! Dammit, Vash! I'm trying to_ help_ you. Why won't you let me? Do you think I want him to slaughter the human race? You're the only one who can stop him, but you can't do that when you're barely able to walk, let alone hold a gun!"

A loud knock on the door made them both look across the room. A moment later, the door opened and a woman - in her mid to late forties - poked her head into the room. The habit she wore told Vash this must be the "Sister Clara" Meryl mentioned earlier. The nun smiled slightly at the two of them.

"Is everything all right?" Sister Clara asked as she raised her eyebrows at the young couple facing off. She'd heard them arguing clear in the other room. She'd hoped to curb it before it got out of hand. The children were already worried enough with this insane man destroying cities.

"Yes, Sister, everything's fine," Meryl uneasily replied after a short silence.

The nun looked to Vash and smiled a little wider. "It's good to see you awake. Do you mind if I come in?"

Meryl glanced at Vash, noting the complete change in his manner upon Clara's appearance. "No, Sister, not at all," she said. "We can't thank you enough for your help. I imagine it's difficult for you, taking care of these children, then we come along."

Clara stepped into the room. "Always be kind to strangers," she said as she clasped her hands together as she approached her guests. Her gaze shifted to Vash. "For you may be entertaining angels unawares."

Vash's eyes widened briefly at the nun's words then he looked away. He couldn't bear to be reminded of his old friend - Wolfwood. Not only the affiliation with God, but it was the way this woman spoke. Wolfwood often quoted from his Book. Usually, it was in order to support some course of action, which Vash objected to, though.

"We were about to have lunch, if either of you are -"

In a flash, Vash was on his feet, in front of nun. "Food! I'm famished!" He placed his hands to his stomach and frowned as it growled. "I feel like I haven't eaten in days!"

"Because you haven't," Meryl muttered.

He laughed. "Oh, yeah! Right!" He drew in a deep breath then sighed. The smell of whatever the nun had prepared overwhelmed him. "Smells wonderful!" With that, he darted out of the room.

Sister Clara blinked as she turned from the doorway to Meryl. "He's certainly feeling better."

As the insurance woman and the nun entered the main room of the small orphanage, Meryl sighed heavily at the scene before her. Vash was flat on the floor, face down, with two young boys perched on his back. One held tightly to his right leg while the other attempted to pin Vash's left arm to the floor. Vash, though, refused to give up the donut clutched in his right hand.

"Get it from him, Kit!" yelled one of the boys to one of the nearby girls who watched them. "Give it back!"

"Ow! Let go!" Vash exclaimed as the angered boy gave his arm a hefty yank.

"Not until you give it back!"

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to respect your guests?"

"Jack, Daniel!" Sister Clara firmly called out. She raised an eyebrow when both boys ceased in their torture and turned sheepishly towards her. "Let him go."

Grumbling, the boys did as they were commanded. Vash rolled onto his back then propped himself up on his elbows. The look on Meryl's face elicited a sheepish grin from him. She, on the other hand, only shook her head and sighed.

"The two of you will apologize for your behavior," Clara instructed. She hook her head as they began to protest. "You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Heads bowed, the boys turned to Vash and murmured," I'm sorry" in unison.

"Good." Clara pointed to the empty chairs at the table. "Sit down." Once they were seated, she looked down to Vash. "Ed certainly was right about you."

Meryl's head snapped up when Clara spoke a familiar name. Vash was equally surprised by the nun's comment.

"Did you say 'Ed'?" Meryl asked.

The nun nodded. "Yes."

"Ed as in a little red-haired girl with an obsession over food?"

She smiled. "That's the same Ed."

Meryl looked down to Vash. The same realization had struck him, too. If Ed was around, that meant they were in the same time period as the **Bebop**. And where that ship was, they had possible allies in their quest to stop Knives. That glimmer of hope filled Meryl with a sense of relief. She suddenly didn't feel so alone, either. They had friends here. Friends they could count on.

Clara pulled out a chair for Meryl, who promptly plopped into it. "She told us all about her trip to the future and her adventures on a planet called 'Gunsmoke'. I didn't believe any of it until yesterday, Miss Stryfe, when you told me your names."

"Why didn't you say something before?"

"I wanted to be sure." She approached Vash and pulled out a chair for him. "And now that I've officially met you ... " She smiled as Vash sat down in the chair. "I'm very sure." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I understand why she likes you so much, Vash."

* * *

End Chapter Three. 

Song Title Used: "Apocalypse Please" - Muse

* * *


	4. Come Together

Chapter Four:  
"Come Together"

" ... which has prompted the Earth government to issue an unprecedented 150 million woolong bounty for his capture."

Faye froze when she heard the female anchor say "150 million woolong bounty". Her gaze shifted to the couch where Jet and Spike sat behind Ed, who was huddled on the floor watching the monitor with Ein.

"The man is considered armed and extremely dangerous."

Spike laughed as he leaned back and lit up a new cigarette. "Aren't they all?"

Jet ignored him, choosing to pay close attention to the details of the case. He wanted to know what this mystery man had done to warrant that kind of bounty.

"Dangerous is a mild way to phrase it, Donna," the male anchor replied as the camera focused on him. "The underground habitat of the old Earth city of Calcutta was annihilated two days ago."

Spike leaned forward as the screen filled with images of what was left of the city. Never in his life had he seen destruction such as this. He was certain Jet hadn't either. Sunlight streamed into the massive crater where the surface city used to be and illuminated the lower levels where people had dwelt for the better part of two decades. The carnage left behind, Spike knew immediately that no one could've survived the attack.

Ed hugged her knees close to her chest as she stared at the pictures flashing across the screen. The orphanage Sister Clara ran had moved into that area a few years ago. Calcutta wasn't that far away from the new location. She hoped this man hadn't hurt any of her friends.

Jet shook his head. How could somebody do damage like that all by himself? Who was he? Where did acquire a weapon capable of decimating an entire city? And why would he?

Behind the couch, Faye stared wide-eyed as the pictures, accompanied by the talking heads giving scores of details, continued to click by on the monitor. "We're ... we're not ... chasing this, are we?" she asked, not fully realizing she'd spoken aloud. She looked down to Spike and Jet when they turned. "I ... I mean, I'm prepared to go up against a lot for 150 million woolongs ..." She shifted her gaze to the screen. "But that?"

Spike stared at her. He never thought he'd see the day when Faye passed on a bounty, especially a 150 million one, because she was terrified of the target. Still, he had his own reasons for not wanting to chase it. He'd avoided Earth since their return and planned to continue doing so. Not even that kind of money would get him on that planet.

"We hafta go!" Ed declared as she jumped to her feet.

"What do you mean, we _have_ to?" Faye snapped, her hands planting themselves firmly on her hips. "You're not in charge of anything on this ship, you annoying kid."

"Neither are you," Spike casually put in, leaning back against the couch.

"Shut up!" She glared at the back of his head before she focused on Ed again. "Why the hell would we want to go there when some psycho is obliterating _entire cities_?"

Ed frowned. "I have friends there." She looked to Jet. "At Sister Clara's orphanage. I hafta make sure they're okay." She raised her eyebrows, her eyes full of hope that Jet would take them to Earth. "Please? It's important."

Jet sighed heavily then looked over to Spike. He knew why his colleague didn't want to go, Faye made no secret of why she didn't and he felt the same as she. 150 million woolongs wasn't near enough to tangle with someone like that. Besides, Spike would be useless on Earth, his mind stuck on that Julia and her demise there.

He shifted his attention to Ed. Unlike everyone else, including Faye, Ed had ties to Earth. She had a second family that she cared about living there, and no way to contact them other than a physical visit. If he said 'no', he didn't doubt that Ed would use her hacking skills to _force _them to go anyway.

"All right," he quietly said. "We'll go."

"_What_?" Faye yelled as Ed cried out with joy as she jumped to her feet. "_Are you serious_?"

"Thank you!" Ed stopped squeezing Jet's leg in a massive hug. "Time to alter course!" She danced around the room, singing gleefully.

Jet tried to ignore the glare he'd earned from Faye and the disheartened one from Spike. Finally, he turned to them. "We won't stay long, okay? Just long enough for Ed to make sure the sister and her orphans are fine." He saw no change in either one's expression. He frowned slightly as his hand dropped to his side. "Look ... I'm the captain of this ship and I'll take her wherever I damn well please."

With that, he left the room and headed for the bridge. Still dancing, Ed followed.

Faye folded her arms across her chest as she scowled. "We should mutiny," she muttered, then looked down to Spike. "We could take him."

Shaking his head, Spike leaned forward and shut off the monitor, mere seconds before the sole survivor of the massacre appeared onscreen.

* * *

The terrified young, blond man recounted his tale of "Vash the Stampede" for the female interviewer. His eyes glazed over when he recalled the destruction of his entire city, which left him completely alone.

"Why do you think he let you live?" the woman asked, off-screen.

The man's head lifted, his eyes full of despair that few could ever know and they focused on the woman off-camera. "He told me," he quietly answered. "He told me that I was to warn everyone ... "

"Warn everyone about what?"

"That time is ... running out."

"For what?"

The man jumped to his feet, startling the camera operator thus making the picture on screen waver. "The end! He's going to kill everybody!" he frantically shouted. He looked straight into the camera lens. "It's over! Everything ... everyone ... it's going to be gone! He -"

The screen cut to static then the anchorman, a mix of worry and surprise on his face, appeared in its place. "Uh ... well ... that was Deborah Rogers - "

Ana Linares turned off the monitor then leaned back in her seat. "Crazy shit goin' on out there, Nate," she commented. Her brown eyes flicked over to the captain of the ship and her bounty-hunting partner, Nathaniel MacGruder. Her mouth quirked as she watched him continue to clean his shotgun, like he hadn't heard the news report.

MacGruder peered down the empty barrel of the shotgun. He'd only been half-listening to the news report, to tell the truth. He didn't like thinking of what happened to those people; it only dredged up memories he'd rather keep on forgetting. "When ain't there?" he grumbled in response. With a flick of his wrist, he closed the gun then shifted his attention to the woman. "150 million woolongs is a lotta money, though."

Linares folded her arms as she narrowed eyes at him. She'd known Nathaniel MacGruder for almost 15 years, so she was quite familiar with that tone of voice. He used to get it when he was about to propose some off the wall tactic in a battle simulation. Some days, she missed the military, like today. Others, she was more than happy to be rid of it. The pay was shit.

"You have a mind to chase this one, then?" she casually inquired, already knowing his answer.

A crooked grin appeared on his face. "I'm gonna let somebody else collect 150 million woolongs?" He shook his head as he placed the freshly cleaned and oiled shotgun on the table between them. "I don't _think _so."

Linares drummed her fingers against her upper arms as her lips pursed. "Are you _sure_ this isn't about the possibility of getting another shot at Spike Spiegel?" During the last two years, Spike Spiegel and MacGruder had developed somewhat of a rivalry. She wouldn't call it "friendly", since every single encounter they had turned into some form of a physical altercation.

The last time, MacGruder had taken a bullet in the shoulder from Spiegel, but not before Spike took one in the foot. MacGruder contended that he wasn't aiming to kill, just to hurt. Linares disagreed, but she kept it to herself.

He busied himself with one of his handguns and pretended not to hear her question. "Shouldn't you be taking us to Mars?"

She lifted an eyebrow. "Why Mars? What's there?"

"Our bountyhead, Linares." He slammed a new clip into the gun then met her gaze. "So why don't you stop askin' questions and do what I tell you?"

"By what keen power of deduction do you arrive at _that_ conclusion?"

"If the guy on the screen meant what he said, where the hell else would this wacko go?" He tapped the barrel of the gun against his temple and grinned. "That's thinkin', Sergeant."

"Sounds more like a wild guess, Lieutenant," she crisply replied. She stared at him. "Are you absolutely _positive_ this isn't about Spiegel?"

MacGruder tossed the gun onto the table. "Shut up and drive, would you?"

With a sigh, she rose to her feet. "Yes, sir."

MacGruder watched as she headed to the pilot's seat. "Why don't you act a little happier while you're at it?" he suggested. He tucked the gun into his holster and smiled broadly at her. "We're gonna save the universe from annihilation!"

"Or help it along," Linares muttered as she punched in the coordinates for the nearest hypergate.

* * *

"_What_

?"

"Why do _we _have to go?"

Spike's and Faye's reaction to Jet's order came simultaneously and in the same incredulous tone.

"Because ... the last time I left you two alone on this ship you _tore it apart_!" Jet glanced down at Ed, who ran back and forth, grabbing everything she wanted to take with her to the orphanage. "That's why."

"No, we didn't." Spike jerked a thumb at Faye standing beside him. "_She_ did."

Her eyes narrowed. "You lied to me and tried to cheat me out of my money."

He sighed heavily, a hand slapped against his forehead then it slid down the side of his face as he looked over to her. "I didn't lie to you, Faye. You misunderstood the arrangement! Equal pay for _equal_ work."

"I'll show you equal!" she growled as she reached out with her hands, intending to strangle him.

"And _this_ is why we're _all _going," Jet said as he stepped between Faye and Spike.

Faye's hands dropped to her sides and she glanced over Jet's shoulder at Spike who smirked in return. She couldn't put into words how much she couldn't stand the sight of him anymore. He made her physically ill. Her gaze shifted to Jet when she realized he was still talking.

"... we won't be here long, either. So you can keep from killing each other for a few hours, at least. Right?" He glanced over his shoulder at Spike then settled his gaze on Faye. "_Right_?"

She sighed. "All right," she said after a moment of silence. "We'll go. Besides ... " Her manner became more aloof as she examined her fingernails. "_He_ would've needed a priest by the time you two got back, anyway." Spike had already thoroughly annoyed her over another matter entirely before Jet sprang this road trip on them.

"Historically speaking, I thought needing a priest was _your_ area?"

Her hand dropped down and she saw the disgusting grin on Spike's face. "I'll make _you_ history!" she shouted as she leaped towards him. Jet, though, was still between them and managed to catch Faye before she sailed over his right shoulder. "Let me go, Jet! _I'm going to kill him_!"

Laughing, Spike stepped back just out of the woman's reach. "Was it something I said?"

Jet's eyes closed briefly as he shook his head. Something had to be done about this ongoing war between Spike and Faye. Not only for the sake of his ship, but for his own sanity.

* * *

"Okay ... we're in and we're out," Faye matter of factly stated as she dropped to the ground beside Ed after climbing out of her Red-Tail. She leveled her gaze on the girl. "I don't want to stick around here any longer than we have to." She glanced around. The orphanage itself was still intact, so that was a good sign. "Let's make it quick."

"Do you think he's out there?" Jet asked as he came to a stop by Spike. His eyes scanned the horizon. Part of him, the cop portion, wanted to stay on Earth and find this guy. Not for the 150 million woolongs, but because it was the right thing to do. Mass genocide deserved to be answered for.

Spike lit his cigarette and glanced at Jet. He could read the man's mind - it was all in the tone of Jet's voice, his expression, his posture - he wanted to chase it. "He's probably long gone by now," he murmured. "If he's smart, that is. He would've left."

"He's wielding near apocalyptic power, Spike. Do you honestly believe he's afraid of being found by someone?"

He exhaled smoke as he shook his head. "That's not how I meant it." He saw the curious look on Jet's face. "There are larger cities on this planet for him to hit. Why waste time in the middle of nowhere?" He gestured to the desolate area in which they currently stood. Save for the old city, not much was left. It was either destroyed by falling rock or by the passage of time.

"Could we please hurry this up?" Faye impatiently called out. When neither of them made a move, she joined them. "I'm not here to see the sights or chit-chat about some psycho."

"Then just why _are_ you here, Faye?" Spike asked then blew cigarette smoke practically into her face. "You've been with us for _how_ long now? And I still can't figure it out."

"Aye! Come on!" Ed waved to the adults before she sprinted towards the shack of a building.

Faye glared at Spike as he passed by her. He just couldn't keep that big mouth of his shut. One of these days, he'd find her fist lodged in it. Well, when Jet wasn't around to stop her.

* * *

Ed threw open the door and bounded into the room. "Ed has returned!" she happily declared. She grinned when she saw all of her "new" friends alive and well. "Hi!" She waved and smiled even wider when they realized she was actually there.

"Ed!" a few of them exclaimed, running towards her.

"You're back!" cried another.

Faye leaned against the doorway and sighed when she saw half of the kids piled on Ed. The girl was happier than she'd been in months, which was exactly how long it'd been since she'd last visited Sister Clara and her orphans. In a way, seeing Ed with her friends, it reminded her of her own self ... with her own friends ... on that mysterious beta tape.

"They look okay to me," Spike commented as he and Jet joined Faye just inside of the door. He took a drag from his cigarette as he side-glanced at Jet. "Satisfied?"

Wondering what all of the commotion was, Meryl made her way down the hallway until she entered the main room. She froze in her tracks when she saw the group gathered just inside of the door. Quickly, her eyes flicked over to the children and she found Ed. They were there. The crew of the **Bebop**, they were alive and well and ... there. For the first time in two days, Meryl felt a surge of _real_ hope.

"Aye! Ed, your friend is here!" one of the boys told her once they'd settled down.

Ed regarded the boy with a curious stare. Her eyebrows arched. "Friend? What friend?"

Meryl opened her mouth to make her presence known but she was shoved aside before she could say a word.

"Ah! My friends! You_ are_ here!" Vash exclaimed as he skidded to a halt in the center of the room. He clasped his hands together, the grin on his face broader than ever now, and the hint of tears glistened in his eyes as he beamed at stunned crew. "I knew it would work! Didn't I tell you it would? I'm so _happy_ to see you all!"

The adults were wide-eyed and utterly speechless as they gaped at the grinning idiot before them.

Spike blinked several times before he leaned towards Jet and murmured, "Do you see what I do?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Just making sure."

Ed, on the other hand, gazed up at Vash with wide eyes for an entirely different reason. She was equally as stunned as the others to see Vash, but unlike them, she was overjoyed by it.

"_VASHY_!" She sprang from the floor with the acrobatic grace of a cat and into his open arms. She hugged him tightly, a little too tightly, as she made a few of his joints crack as a result. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" It was then she noticed Meryl in the room. "Meryl!"

Meryl braced herself for impact as Ed let go of Vash and charged her. She felt the wind get firmly knocked out of her after Ed slammed into her at top speed. She gritted her teeth and patted the girl on the head. "Yeah. It's nice to see you, too, Ed," she managed to choke out.

Vash grinned broadly as he turned to the baffled adults. "You don't have _anything _to say to me?" he asked, rather hurt none of them made the slightest gesture to welcome him.

Without warning, Faye launched herself at him. Her fingers wrapped themselves securely around his throat and he dropped to his knees, gagging, as she applied a significant amount of pressure. Her eyes burned with a rage that she was having trouble keeping completely at bay, but she was drawing closer to not caring. Her fingers squeezed tighter.

"Something ... wrong ... ?" he gasped out as he fought for air.

"You lied to us!" she screamed as her knuckles began to turn white from the amount of pressure she put on his neck. She still held on, even when he grabbed her wrists in a desperate attempt to try to free himself. "You said you'd get us back to where we belong, and you LIED!"

"What do ... you ... mean?" He waved a hand for Jet or Spike to help him. Neither man moved. He was on his own, it seemed. "You're ... here ... aren't you?"

"Yes, I am!" She leaned over, her nose an inch away from his as she stared deep into his wide, aquamarine eyes. "Ten years away from where I _should_ be. Twelve, actually, since we've already lived through two since you _sent us back here_, you idiot!"

"Faye-Faye?" Ed stopped by them. Her gaze shifted between Vash on his knees to a half-mad Faye choking him to death. They woman was so angry, Ed thought she even saw tears forming in Faye's eyes. Faye never cried.

"Faye?"

She blinked when she heard Spike say her name. A moment later, she looked down when she felt another hand on her wrist. Her gaze traveled up the arm until it rested on Spike's face. He had no discernible expression, just that cigarette dangling from his mouth as he looked down on her.

"Let it go," he quietly finished.

Her fingers loosened and soon Vash was free from her vise-like grip. Gasping, he placed his own hands to his throat, massaging his neck where Faye'd clamped onto him. He coughed loudly, then glanced between Faye and Spike, but refrained from saying anything. He probably couldn't have if he'd wanted to. The woman had nearly crushed his windpipe.

"You all right?"

Vash lifted his head and found Jet offering his left hand to him. After one last glance at Faye, who was reasonably calmer since Spike intervened, he accepted Jet's help. "Oh, it's nothing," he answered, with an uneasy smile, attempting to be casual about the whole incident. "I ... I can understand why you're upset." He looked to Faye. "I _did_ try to get you back to where you belong."

"We're grateful for how far you managed to get us, Vash," Jet put in. "I guess we can actually say 'thank you' now."

Ed attached herself to Vash's left leg and grinned up at him. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he replied, his smile growing a little wider.

"At the risk of sounding rude ..." Spike paused when he heard Faye snort. " ... what are you doing here?"

Vash looked over his shoulder to Meryl who shifted nervously in place. "Well ... it's kind of a long story ..."

"It's _always_ a long story with you."

"I wish I could say it was an amusing story that brought us here ... but it's not."

Faye's face fell into a frown. "Why do I have the feeling that I'm not going to like this?"

"Because you won't."

* * *

End Chapter Four

Song Title Used: "Come Together" - Spiritualized

* * *


	5. Where All Agony Prevails

Chapter Five:  
"Where All Agony Prevails"

* * *

Mars

* * *

In the crowded spaceport few of the hurried travelers paid any mind to the newscast on the monitors placed throughout the building. Families made their way to their respective terminals, destinations ranging from Jupiter's moons to asteroids not far from the planet they were currently on. Business people, honeymooners, or people simply trying to get from one place in the solar system to another ... all of them flowed through the corridors, yet hardly any of them watched the news.

"He told me the human race's days were numbered," the young man, now identified as William Harman, said from his position huddled in his chair. His eyes were glazed over as he spoke. But hardly anyone listened to his words. "He gave me a name ..."

The people passed by, few even glanced at the man who'd witnessed the total annihilation of every person he'd ever known. It was an Earth problem, why should they care?

"And the name was?" prompted the female reporter's voice off-screen.

One man, though, stopped in the middle of the busy thoroughfare, his cold blue eyes lifting until they found the face of a familiar someone on the monitor above. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, his hands dug deeper into the pockets of his long red coat and he murmured, "Yes ... tell us his name ... "

"Vash ... the Stampede."

A sketch of the man William Harman saw in Calcutta appeared on the monitor. It was enough to make the perpetrator recognizable, but vague enough not to give an exact picture of who he was. Still, hardly anyone in the spaceport looked. Perhaps, if they had, some of them may've escaped what was to come. Maybe.

"Hey ... mister?"

Knives looked down when he heard a young girl address him. Her bright blue eyes reminded him of someone he once knew. The woman's smiling face flashed through his mind and he outwardly flinched. His hand tightened its grip on the gun in one of the coat's pockets. He never could accept or understand Vash's obsession with that foolish woman and her flawed ideals.

The dark-haired girl pointed up to the monitor. "Is that you?" she asked. When he simply nodded, she smiled. "Wow! You must be special to get on the news! Did you do something important?"

Knives dropped to one knee in order to look the girl in her eyes on her own level. He smiled a little. "Yes, I did."

Her voice lowered as she leaned towards him. "Was it something bad?"

"No," he answered, shaking his head. "It wasn't bad at all."

The more he stared at her, the more she reminded him of Rem Saverem. Was this girl a relative? An ancestor? The forbearer of the woman who'd twisted his brother's mind and turned him against his own family?

"You should tell somebody, then," the girl suggested.

"I tried. He wouldn't believe me."

She frowned then suddenly brightened. "Tell him again! And keep telling him until he believes you!" She grinned. "My mom says that the truth is the truth. If you always tell the truth, you'll never be in trouble. So ... you should tell him again."

Knives looked around the spaceport crowded with the useless trash that referred to themselves as "humanity". "That's why I'm here, to tell him again. He'll realize soon enough that I'm right."

"_Ramona Mae_!"

The girl gasped when she heard her name yelled. "Uh oh. That's my mom." She looked back to Knives. "I have to go. We're going to meet my dad."

"Ramona, come back over here this instant!"

"I'm _coming_!" She waved a bit to Knives as she made her way back to her mother. "I hope everything goes okay for you! Bye!"

Knives' eyes narrowed as the girl reunited with her mother. "It will." He rose to his feet and cast one last look at the spaceport, physically ill as he remembered how much Vash loved these pathetic creatures.

_More than his own brother_, he bitterly thought. _He won't for much longer. Not if there aren't any of them left for him **to** care about._

_

* * *

_

The crew of the **Bebop** stared across the table at Vash and Meryl, who'd finished their joint telling of the sordid tale. None could quite believe the entire thing, especially when Vash recounted his showdown with Knives back on Gunsmoke and the use of a ... mysterious weapon of incredible power to open a hole in time and space.

Meryl side-glanced at Vash then her eyes flicked back to Jet, Faye and Spike. They didn't appear to know how to respond to the story. She could empathize. The history of Vash and Knives, while curious, was terribly sad.

Faye blinked a few times as the numbness wore off. She'd only half-listened to the story after the point she'd learned Nicholas Wolfwood was dead. Not only was he dead, he'd been with the people determined to destroy Vash. It made little sense to her. How could _he_, of all people, have been with these ... Gung-Ho Guns?

She'd spent a month with him, told him things she'd never told another soul, and she couldn't have imagined he was ... A hand absently brushed over her neck, then she remembered she'd stopped wearing the cross he'd given her. It proved to be more trouble than it was worth in their own time. She kept it elsewhere, but still close to her heart.

Vash noticed the change in Faye's manner, immediately knowing the cause. He understood how she felt. To find out that someone he'd trusted and cared about was not who he appeared to be.

"Faye ..."

He'd only managed that much before the woman hastily excused herself and vanished through the door, outside. He sighed heavily as he bowed his head. Perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned that part. But then that wouldn't have been fair to anyone, especially Wolfwood.

Spike took a long drag from his cigarette, glancing at Faye as she practically ran from the room. Part of him felt guilty for making the crack about "needing a priest" earlier, then the other half of him remembered he really didn't care. She'd started that one, anyway.

Jet leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest as he watched Ed click away on her computer. Mostly oblivious to everything else, she was surrounded by her friends. More than likely, it didn't matter to her; she was excited to have Vash around again. He shook his head. Vash's story sounded like the plot of a science fiction movie, almost unbelievable. Then he recalled their own foray into sci-fi.

Meryl glanced between Jet and Spike then looked to Vash. He kept his own gaze on the door Faye had gone through only moments before. Getting to her feet, she placed a hand on Vash's shoulder. When he looked up at her, she offered him a small smile and a nod. He understood - she would take care of Faye.

When Meryl was gone, Spike exhaled a cloud of smoke in Vash's direction. Once he had the other man's attention, he said, "You honestly expect us to believe that story? Because, even after all I've seen in the last two years, it's more than far-fetched. It's bullshit."

"I don't know what I could say to convince you," Vash evenly replied. "I thought that the truth would be enough." He shifted his gaze to Jet on Spike's left. "Whether or not you believe me, it doesn't matter. It _will_ affect the future of humankind."

Jet lifted his head, a realization hitting him at those words. "Your brother?"

He nodded. "Yes."

* * *

Outside, Faye strolled a reasonable distance away from the orphanage. The chance of a piece of moon rock striking was always good, but, at that moment, she didn't care. Her mind was on other matters entirely. Soon, she found a decent sized slab of rock to use as a chair.

Sighing, she tipped her head back and gazed at the early evening sky. They'd been listening to Vash's story for quite a while. As she scanned the stars, her mind wandered. She hadn't been on Earth since they returned. Like Spike, she avoided the place, but for different reasons.

She knew she belonged to someone _somewhere_. Even sixty years later, whoever they were, they were here. But whom? And exactly where? The one beta tape she had offered practically nothing in the way of clues. Children playing; children who had pasts and had lived through their futures. All except one - that little cheerleader remained hopelessly lost.

Her hand slipped into her top and she removed the small gold cross from it. She stared it, lying in the palm of her hand, glimmering dimly under the weakening light of an already faded sun. He, Wolfwood, had told her to have faith.

Faith in what, though? God? She'd tried that for almost two years and nothing came of it. She still couldn't remember who she was and she was certainly no closer to Spike. In fact, she was further away from him now than before their unexpected trip to Gunsmoke.

"Why did you lie to me?" she muttered as she closed her hand into a fist around the cross. Tears stung her eyes. As much as she didn't want to cry, she couldn't help it. Everyone she cared about had either vanished or died. Or acted as though they were dead.

Meryl came to a stop not far from Faye when she heard the woman mutter those words. Her sympathy went out to Faye Valentine. Wolfwood, he'd affected so many people, Meryl never even realized it. It tore her apart inside when she was forced to deal with Milly's mourning of the priest. Though Milly's bond differed from Faye's, Meryl understood the power of it. Her own with Vash had driven her into the desert. Now, here she was, on another planet and out of time.

"What do you want?"

Meryl's eyes widened briefly when she heard Faye speak. "Well ... I ..." She didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure why she chose to follow Faye. They weren't close in any aspect of the word, and she'd never particularly liked the woman, either. Faye Valentine was greed personified. "Are you going to be ... all right?"

Faye's hand tightened on the cross and she brushed away the stray tears. "I don't know ..."

Meryl noticed the wet streaks on Faye's left cheek. Her initial assessment, that Faye was a cold, hard bitch, faded away. She noted how the other woman tried to casually dry her tears, without being obvious. Meryl started to realize that she and Faye were more alike than they were different. Both internalized their feelings, tried to hide anything that might be viewed as weakness, and suffered for it.

"Do you mind if I stay with you for a bit?"

Faye shrugged. "I don't care. Do whatever you want."

Meryl seated herself on the ground beside Faye's rock slab. She pulled her knees to her chest then hugged her legs closer with her arms as she let her gaze settle on the sky. She wondered how far her own planet was from Earth. And what about Milly? How was she doing ... all alone? _God, Milly! She probably thinks we're dead!_

"Were you there?"

"Hmm?" Meryl turned her head to find Faye staring down at her. "Was I where?"

"When he ..." She couldn't even say it. Giving the word her voice only confirmed that she believed it. "Were you there?"

"I was in town." Meryl lowered her gaze to the ground in front of her. "I didn't actually _see_ it, though."

"And where was Vash?"

Her head lifted upon noting the venom in Faye's tone. The other woman's eyes darkened as they narrowed on Meryl. "He was ... he ... " She's worked so hard to put that day out of her mind, it was difficult to recall the details. "I can't ... remember ..."

"Why didn't he _do_ something? He should've done something!" Faye's fists tightened in her lap. "It's that idiot's fault it happened!"

"He can't be in two places at once," Meryl hotly shot back. "And Vash had nothing to do with it!"

"He had everything to do with it!" With all of her strength, she threw the cross onto the ground then covered her face with both of her hands. "It was his fault ..." she choked out into her palms.

Meryl blinked. Had Faye completely broken down? Her surprise was quickly replaced by her own anger. "How is it _Vash's _fault?"

Faye's hands dropped into her lap as she turned to Meryl. "His stupid policy of 'no killing'! If he hadn't have listened to that idiot, he would be alive! He would've just ... " It hurt to remember Vash's explanation of what had happened. Someone he'd given a reprieve - a chance to walk away, with his life - murdered Wolfwood. "Don't you understand?" Tears spilled down her cheeks, her eyes filled with a hatred Meryl had never seen in anyone before.

That didn't stop Meryl from lashing out, though. "He made his own decision. If you want to blame someone, blame him! If you want to hate someone, hate _him_!"

"_I do_!" Faye paused, shocked that she'd screamed at Meryl. Then, she just didn't care. None of it mattered anymore. Her life was a bigger, more miserable mess than ever before and she couldn't take it much longer. Her explosion was a release of a culmination of frustrations over the last two years.

"You ... do?" Meryl's voice was so soft; she barely heard her own question.

"Yes!" Her hands furiously worked to wipe away her fresh tears. "Goddamnit!" She hated crying. She loathed the complete absence of hope. It was worse than any other feeling in the world.

Meryl positioned herself on her knees, just in front of Faye, her expression one of concern as she watched Faye finally let the walls crash down. Without thinking, she placed her own hands on one of Faye's, squeezing it reassuringly. "Why?" she asked, quietly. "Why do you hate him?"

Faye looked from Meryl's hands clutched to one of hers to the woman herself. Why the hell did she care? What was it to her, anyway? It wasn't any of her business, either. Still, she was compelled to answer.

"He lied to me." Off of Meryl's confused look, she continued. "He told me ... to have faith. It didn't work. My life is _worse_ because of him." She averted her gaze; she couldn't look Meryl in the eye. "I was stupid, to believe him. Have faith." She scoffed. "That's what holy people do, right? Give you a false sense of security?"

"What is it that hasn't changed?"

Faye glanced back at the orphanage. "Everything," she murmured. "I can't compete with a ghost. No one can."

* * *

End Chapter Five

Song Title Used: "Where All Agony Prevails" - Noctuary

* * *


	6. Wayward Angel

Chapter Six:  
"Wayward Angel"

Jet glanced at Spike. "The power that brought you here, Vash ... it wouldn't be capable of leveling an entire city, would it?"

Spike's cigarette hung loosely between his lips as he shifted his own gaze to the blond. The expression on Vash's face was answer enough for him.

Scattered memories of July City made their way to Vash's conscious mind. He remembered how terrified he was when it happened. The blackout ... then, upon waking, he found himself in the midst of immeasurable carnage. Even now, though he could control it, it scared him. No one should be allowed that kind of power - not even him.

"That was him, wasn't it?" Jet stated when Vash remained silent. He noted the confusion on the man's face. "Calcutta ..." Still, no indication Vash knew what he meant. _Christ, he doesn't even know?_ "You haven't heard about that?"

"Heard about what?"

"Underground city, not far from here, it -"

"It's gone," Spike cut in. He flicked the ashes from the end of his cigarette. "Just like _that_. Thousands. It was a major center on Earth, now it's nothing but a crater in the ground."

"If what you told us about your brother is true," Jet quickly picked up as Spike reclined in his own chair. "Then he's probably the one responsible."

Vash only stared. He didn't have the words, only the emotions, and they overwhelmed him. First, the surge of sadness, which was quickly followed by anger at Knives for murdering thousands of innocent humans. Then, he turned his anger on himself for not being there to stop it.

_You've really started this ..._ he thought as he heaved a sigh. _The future has changed because of you. Because of ... **us**_.

His joy in finding his friends turned into fear. They would most certainly be killed, along with the rest of the humans in this time period. Since his brother knew everything about them, Knives wouldn't be merciful in eliminating them. He imagined his brother would take perverse delight in torturing them and using their suffering to ultimately break him. That was how he operated.

"Vash?"

His head lifted when Jet said his name.

"You plan to stop him, right?"

"Yes. I have to. In order to save him."

"Save him?" Spike's brow arched in surprise. "Save him from _what_?"

"From himself."

Jet sat back in his chair as Spike leaned forward in his. "Just a goddamn minute, Vash." He narrowed his eyes at him. "Don't tell me you're sticking to your policy of 'no killing' in this case, too? Please, tell me that you're not, because if you are -"

Vash glanced at Jet. "My beliefs are no different just because the situation is, Mr. Spiegel."

Spike slammed a fist into the table as he rose to his feet. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm sorry, but -"

Spike pointed a finger in Vash's face. "_Don't_. Just ... don't. I put up with this on your planet because the enemy wasn't much of a threat. We're talking about a guy wielding the power to _annihilate whole cities_. You only have one option, Vash."

Vash sighed as he shook his head. He was like Wolfwood - set in the belief that killing solved problems instead of creating them. Blood followed blood. Someone had to break the cycle where Knives was concerned, not allow it to continue. "I thought you would've learned from your previous experiences," he quietly said. "Obviously, you haven't."

"No," Spike shot back as he rounded the table. He jabbed his finger an inch from Vash's nose as he continued. "_You_ are in _our _world now. _Your_ future depends on what you do here, not mine."

"You have a short-sighted view of things."

"_Really_?" Spike couldn't help but laugh. "How do you come to that conclusion? Because I want to eliminate a threat? Or is it because the threat is your own brother?"

"Who Knives is to me has nothing to do with it."

"Then what's so wrong with my solution?" Spike rested the palms of his hands on the table as he leaned down towards Vash. "What?"

Jet opened his mouth to call Spike off, but Vash lifted a hand to keep him quiet. With a puzzled expression on his face, Jet did as requested. After looking deep into Spike's eyes, Vash evenly replied, "Imagine how different things would be ... if someone had made that kind of decision about _you_ not so long ago?"

Spike stared at him, unable to respond. He was stunned, really. _How in the hell does he know about that? I never told him anything about my past._ He glanced at Jet who was equally as surprised. _Okay. Neither did Jet._

Faye entered the orphanage then stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed the look on Spike's face, along with the complete silence between everyone. She side-glanced when Meryl came to a halt beside her. The other woman tensed, almost immediately. The uncomfortable air in the room was nearly tangible.

_What happened?_ Faye wondered. Her gaze shifted to Vash who stared up at Spike with that stoic expression on his face.

The uneasy scene was interrupted by Ed's voice calling out.

"Aye! Vashy! Spike! Big trouble on Mars!" She turned away from her computer monitor and lifted up her goggles. That's when she finally noticed how still everyone else in the room was. The girl pointed to her monitor. "Um ... News report says there's trouble back home."

"What kind of trouble?" Jet asked as he approached Ed.

"Same kind Earth has," she answered as the others gathered around. She clicked a key to bring up the sound on the monitor.

"Shit ..." Faye breathed as the monitor flashed images of what was left of one of the many major spaceports on Mars. She looked over to Spike then Jet. They were equally grave - or maybe they were scared. She rarely saw either of them afraid. They'd never had to deal with this sort of threat before.

Vash crouched down behind Ed, folding his hands together as he watched the camera pan over the remains of the spaceport. It pulled back and revealed the damage went beyond that, many blocks in perfect circle, away from the port.

_It's just like July City. How did you become this way Knives?_ He bowed his head as he closed his eyes. _I tried. Rem tried. Why do you refuse to change?_

Meryl looked from the monitor to the back of Vash's bowed head. She didn't know what to say - this was worse than anything they'd faced before. She wondered if he would survive. Not in the physical sense, but mentally and emotionally. He'd nearly vanished after he was forced to kill Legato, in order to save her and Milly from certain death.

"We saw him -" one of the terrified survivors told the reporter. Tears streamed down the young woman's face, her hands shook as she recalled the perpetrator. "His eyes ... his voice ... he called himself ... Vash the Stampede."

Spike took a drag from his cigarette then looked down at the real Vash the Stampede. "You still think 'no killing' is an option?" he asked. For once, there wasn't a hint of sarcasm in his tone. This level of seriousness was rare.

Vash threaded his fingers through his hair then sighed. He didn't know what to say, what to do, or where to start. He noticed Ed gazing over her shoulder at him. He tried to smile. She didn't have to ask - he already knew her question: What will you do? He didn't have an answer.

Jet stepped forward, arms folded across his chest as he gazed on Vash. He waited until the other man looked up at him before he spoke. "I won't sit on the sidelines anymore." He shifted his gaze to Spike, who only continued to smoke his cigarette as though it were his last.

"How do you plan to stop him?"

"By any means necessary."

He sighed inwardly then let his gaze drop to the floor in front of him. "I only have one thing to ask of you ..."

"What's that?" Spike flatly asked.

He lifted his head. "When we find Knives, you give me a chance to reason with him. I was trying to before he brought us here. I need another chance. Please."

Faye bit her lower lip as she looked from Vash to Jet and Spike. She didn't want to go through with this; it was too dangerous. They were bounty hunters, not heroes. Stupid people with no regard for their personal safety did this kind of crap. Still, she kept her mouth shut and waited for the other two to respond.

"All right," Jet finally replied. He ignored the glare that earned him from Spike. "But, if I'm left with no other options ..."

"We kill him," Spike finished. He didn't blink or look away when Vash turned to him. He only took one last drag on his cigarette and exhaled the smoke.

"I won't let it come to that."

"What about you, Faye?"

Faye snapped out of her daze. She looked from Vash to Jet, then asked, "What _about_ me?"

"You seemed adamant about not getting involved earlier," Jet answered. "I want to know if you're going to be a part of it."

"Risk herself for somebody other than herself?" Spike snorted with laughter. He snuffed out his cigarette in one of the empty plates on the table. "You must be kidding, Jet."

Faye's eyes narrowed at him. _He talks as though he's some great crusader for the people! How **dare** he?_

"You don't have to do anything, Faye," Vash assured her. "In fact, it might be better if you didn't. Someone should stay here with Ed."

"Hey! I'm going, too!" Ed declared as she jumped to her feet, her hands firmly on her hips. "You aren't leaving me behind again!"

Meryl placed a hand on Ed's shoulder. "This will be extremely dangerous, Ed. You're safer here, with Sister Clara."

"Which is exactly why I want you to stay, too."

Meryl's head snapped up when she heard Vash say that. "_What?_ You aren't leaving _me_ here, either! I've come this far with you, Vash! And I'll be there until the very end!"

Ed nodded firmly as she stepped in front of Meryl and looked up at Vash. "Yeah!"

Before he could object, though, Faye spoke up.

"She's right." She saw the amusement on Spike's face and the mild surprise on Jet's. She shifted her attention to Vash. "If I'm going to die, then it'll be on my terms. It's not like I care about any of this." She tried sound nonchalant about it as she waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. "Besides ... we stop him and there's a major bounty we can collect on."

"You _would_ bring that up, wouldn't you?" Spike snorted.

She pretended as though he hadn't said anything. "We'd better get going if we plan to catch him." With that, she left the orphanage.

Ed grabbed her computer, called a few quick goodbyes to her friends and followed.

"I'll ... get the rest of our things," Meryl quietly said to Vash then she disappeared down the hallway.

When Meryl was gone, Vash turned to Jet and Spike. "I appreciate your help."

"For now," Spike murmured.

"One day, you'll realize there's always another option." Vash left them to speak with Sister Clara once more.

Jet sighed. "You have any idea how difficult this is gonna be with _him_ around?" he asked, keeping his voice low so the blond couldn't hear.

Spike shrugged. He watched Vash, along with Meryl now, talk to Clara. "It won't be as difficult as you think." He side-glanced at Jet. "It's about time Vash had a lesson in the cold, hard realities of life."

An eyebrow arched. "And _you're_ the one to give him that lesson?"

"I may have to soon."

"What makes you say that?"

Spike met Jet's gaze. "The spaceport his brother erased? It's not too far from the building Vicious uses as his headquarters. And, considering how much business the Syndicate did from it, his guys'll be out in full force ... hunting this Knives down. I'm certain to run into ... old friends."

* * *

Mars Phoenix Corp. Building-Top Floor

* * *

Shin entered the vast room with more caution than he ever had before. He narrowed his eyes, squinting through the dim light at the man sitting alone near the far wall. As he neared, he noticed the fatigue in Lord Vicious' features. His posture wasn't as rigid as usual and he appeared to not notice Shin, now in front of him. It wasn't like the boss of the Red Dragon Syndicate to be like this - but ever since Spike returned from oblivion ...

Vicious raised his head, his emotionless gaze settling on the man who'd become his right hand in the last ten years. He didn't have to ask his question. The answer was all over Shin's face.

"He didn't come," was the low comment.

Shin shook his head. "No, sir." He swallowed and shifted uneasily in place. His uneasiness wasn't entirely because Spike failed to show himself, it was mostly for another reason. Before he could mention it, Vicious continued.

"He's changed." He sat back in the chair, his hands grasping the arms tightly. "The old Spike, he wouldn't have been able to resist the bait I left for him."

"Perhaps he didn't understand - "

"He understood," Vicious cut in. He watched Shin outwardly flinch. As loyal as the man was, he was almost useless as anything but an errand boy. If Spike had stayed where he should've ... _they_ would be ruling the Red Dragons. He wouldn't be in his current position, alone, without another person he could wholly trust.

"I apologize," Shin quietly said, bowing his head briefly. Still, he couldn't help but believe that Spike didn't understand the message rather than that he chose to not come. The latter was Spike's goal upon reappearing out of nowhere two years ago. He'd hunted down the men who'd killed Julia, then spent the rest of his time desperately attempting to get close enough to Vicious to kill him, too.

"I opened my door," Vicious said as if he'd read Shin's thoughts. "He chose to not walk through it."

"Maybe that's for the best, sir. For everyone."

Vicious leaned forward. "No. It's not. As long as he's a loose end, it's not for the best." A moment later, he reclined in his chair. "Did you send Lao to search for him?"

"Yes. And ... that's part of the reason I'm here." Shin shifted in place again. "Lao, his men ... well. Most of them are ... dead." He glanced at Vicious who only folded his hands together. "Something happened. At the spaceport." He could feel his boss staring right through him. "It was ... destroyed." Another glance at Vicious. The man registered absolutely no emotion on his face. "No one's quite sure about the entire story, but they believe that this Vash the Stampede was responsible."

He sat back in his chair, gathering together his thoughts. Yes, he'd heard what this Vash had done on Earth. Frankly, it hadn't concerned him. Now, however, the man was on Mars, and operating less than 20 blocks from his building.

"Are you aware how much business we conduct through that spaceport, Shin?"

He nodded. "Yes, sir."

Vicious looked away. This outsider could prove more troublesome than Spike if he wasn't eliminated. After a moment, he returned his cold gaze to Shin. "Lao Chan ... he's still alive?" he quietly inquired.

"Y-yes, sir."

"Have him track down this Vash the Stampede ... and kill him."

He stared at Vicious, stunned. Had the man not realized that Vash the Stampede could annihilate thousands with some mysterious power? He only wanted to send Lao? Of course, Lao was second only to Vicious in the realm of sadism and the use of terror, but against a man like that? He couldn't be serious, could he? He didn't dare question the order. Still, he doubted that Lao would shy away from the assignment - he'd lost some of his best men at that spaceport.

Bowing at the waist, Shin backed away from Vicious. "I'll inform him immediately, Lord Vicious." With that, he turned smartly on his heel and exited the room.

Vicious watched the doors close behind Shin. He looked to the floor, his thoughts wandering back to Spike. Had his old friend, his brother, changed so much in 12 years? If so, what had _made_ him change? What kept him from walking right into what was certain death? He pressed the heel of one hand to his forehead, the stress of the situation beginning to wear on him.

"Maybe you should leave it alone," a woman's voice said from behind him. "Spike, I mean."

His head lifted when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. "He's a problem," was his reply to the person lingering in the shadows.

"Because you _allow_ him to be."

He clasped his hands together and rested his elbows on the arms of his chair. His eyes narrowed slightly as he placed his chin on the tops of his fingers. "No. He allows _himself_ to be," he coolly replied.

* * *

MacGruder whistled lowly as he stepped through the remains of a residential apartment complex about ten blocks away from the spaceport. He'd seen a lot of things during his time as a soldier, and he'd done twice as much, but this ... this was a level of destruction and carnage no one had known. Not for at least sixty years. Buildings beyond the ten block mark were marred and somehow managed to remain standing. This was the limit of the weapon, whatever the hell that was, Vash the Stampede had used to eradicate the spaceport and thousands of innocent lives.

He squatted down and picked up a charred doll from the rubble. So many died instantly and, easily, double that number were wounded. His fingers brushed over the doll's tattered dress. He wondered if the child it belonged to had been home when the building came down. He scanned the area, then looked back to the toy. It reminded him of another time ... another place ...

Linares carefully stepped over a large support beam and gingerly made her way towards her partner. She stopped just behind him but didn't say anything. She knew what was on his mind - the Dubois Colony Uprising five years ago. Dubois had been the source of much needed material for a vital government project, and when the residents revolted, the military was sent to quell them. They'd done a more than satisfactory job. Linares and MacGruder would've received promotions, if they hadn't resigned afterward.

"What did you find out?" MacGruder quietly asked. He glanced over his shoulder at her. She had to remember it, too. Dubois Colony. The massacre. The murder of hundreds of innocent people who were only fed up with the way they were treated. They were used, abused and practically slave labor. The government couldn't lose the valuable material mined on that hunk of rock. Not if they wanted their plan to save the future of humanity to succeed.

"Witnesses are giving the same general description - tall, blond, cold eyes and a long red coat." She placed her hands on her hips as she gave the area a once over. "Not a whole lot to go on, Nate."

"The chase has only begun." He rose to his feet and turned to her. "Anybody we know followin' this thing?"

She shrugged. "Saw Simon Baker's crew. A few others, but I doubt they'll stick with it. They were mostly poking around, trying to see who was out. The universe is terrified of this guy. We're just too stupid to know better."

"I doubt we're the only ones, Linares."

"You _are_ hoping to run into Spike Spiegel, aren't you?"

"If we run across him, so be it." He looked away from the doll still in his hands as screams from a time he wanted to forget echoed through his head. "How many people survived this ... massacre?"

"Don't know." She studied him for a moment. She'd not seen him this way in ages. She worried the distraction would get him hurt - or killed. "They're still finding bodies in the rubble."

"But no survivors?"

"Ten blocks were nearly incinerated, Nate. What do you expect?"

His fingers tightened around the doll. "Something other than pointless death."

The sound of glass crunching made both of them look up. To Linares' left, a group of men dressed in sharp suits and long, black coats made their way across what was left of the apartment building.

"We have unwelcome guests," Linares murmured. As one of the men lifted his arm, the sleeve of his coat pulled back enough to reveal a telling tattoo on his forearm. "Syndicate thugs. Red Dragons."

MacGruder's jaw clenched as the men neared. He recognized the bastard with the long, dark hair leading them. He and Linares had crossed paths with the guy before - the man was searching for Spike Spiegel at the time. MacGruder often wondered what kind of shit Spiegel had gotten himself into to have the Red Dragons chasing him.

Lao Chan smirked slightly when he, too, recognized the people before him. "Mr. MacGruder." He looked to Linares, smiling a little. "And your lovely partner, Ms. Linares." He clasped his gloved hands together in front of him. "I don't suppose I need to ask you why you're here."

MacGruder snorted. "Don't tell me that _you've_ gone into the bounty hunting business, too?"

"The hunting we do isn't for profit," Lao replied. He glanced around at the detritus they stood in. "Seems dangerous, don't you think? Is this really worth 150 million woolongs?"

"300 million, actually," MacGruder corrected. "Mars government matched the Earth offer not but an hour ago. See, us real bounty hunters are privy to that kind of knowledge." He shrugged. "As for being worth it ... who knows? We've only just begun." He looked to the half dozen Syndicate goons accompanying Lao. "You still tryin' to find Spiegel?"

"You know where we can find him?"

MacGruder smiled. "Like I told you last time, ain't seen him in weeks. Right, Linares?"

Linares rested her hands on the grips of both her guns, which were holstered to her waist with a belt. She noticed Lao's men tense as she did so, but they didn't make any further movements. "No, sir," she replied, shaking her head. "Not for a while."

Lao scoffed tightly as he flicked his gaze between Linares and MacGruder. "Care to tell me where you last saw him, then?"

The male bounty hunter shrugged. "I forget." He smiled a little wider when Lao narrowed his eyes at him. "You recall where we saw'im last, Sarge?"

"No. Can't say that I do. Been a lotta places in the last few weeks."

"They tend to mix together in your memory," MacGruder explained. He sighed. "Sorry we couldn't be of any help to you again, pal. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse us, my associate and I have a very important bounty to nab."

"Of course." Lao never took his eyes off of the two as they headed in the opposite direction from which he and his men came. "You'll be sure to contact us if you run across Spiegel, won't you?"

MacGruder only waved a hand in response.

"Lord Vicious could make it well worth your trouble," he added. He frowned as the two continued on their way, without even acknowledging his comment. "No good bounty hunters. I loathe their kind. What honor is there in what they do?"

"Do you believe he'll ever give Spiegel up, sir?" one of the men asked as he joined Lao.

"MacGruder may not like Spiegel any more than we do ... but he has a certain amount of respect for him." The two finally vanished from Lao's sight. "I rather admire it."

The man stared at Lao's profile for a moment then looked in the direction MacGruder had gone. If Vicious knew about this, he would've ordered Lao to torture the man and his partner to gain the information they desired. Still, he'd never tell their boss. He feared Lao almost as much as Vicious.

"Let's find the man we were sent out here for ... this Vash the Stampede." Lao motioned for the others to follow him and they left the area.

Once they were gone, Knives stepped out of the darkness of two nearby buildings that had managed to remain standing. A grin spread across his face as he gazed in the direction the Syndicate members had left. Someone was looking for him? How interesting. His eyes shifted to the other direction, where the bounty hunters went. They, too, searched for him, but that wasn't what interested him about them. It was a name - one he knew.

_Spike Spiegel. Yes, brother, I remember the story of April City well. The priest wasn't forthcoming with the details, but I have other sources._

He chuckled. If those looking for Spiegel were also searching for him, well, he'd gladly allow himself to be found.

* * *

End Chapter Six

Song Title Used: "Wayward Angel" - Kasey Chambers

* * *


	7. Karma's Payment

Chapter Seven:  
"Karma's Payment"

Faye stood in the darkened room, the same one Spike was in the day before, and gazed out of the window at the stars passing by. They were almost to Mars, their trip through the hypergate neared its end. She couldn't imagine what they may find on the other end. Would Mars still be there? Or would it be completely destroyed by Vash's brother?

She hugged her upper torso as she let her head bow. She couldn't believe the mess Vash had brought with him. What irritated her the most about it was how he'd_ expected_ them to help. This wasn't her problem, it wasn't Jet's or Spike's; it was_ his_. The moron had _made_ it theirs by showing up where he shouldn't have been.

Vash came to a halt in the doorway and watched the young woman stare out of the window. Faye hadn't spoken to him since they'd left the orphanage. From what Meryl said, Faye held him responsible for what had happened to Wolfwood. Maybe he _was_ responsible. If that were true, then every other person who'd died because of his or her association with Vash was on his head, too. After decades of living, the number added up.

_Maybe I should say something ..._ He lifted a foot to step into the room. A hand clamped down on his shoulder and stopped him. He looked over his shoulder to find Spike.

"Don't, Vash," he quietly said then glanced at Faye, who apparently hadn't heard them.

Vash planted his foot down on the floor and shifted his gaze to Faye. "I ... I don't know what to say to her," he murmured. He hadn't witnessed Wolfwood's death, but it didn't change the fact that it had happened. The man was gone before he even knew ...

Spike's hand slid from Vash's shoulder. "Don't say anything." He looked to Faye. "It won't help." For once, he could empathize with her. He knew how she felt inside, to lose someone very important and not have been there to try to keep it from happening.

"I want to let her know ... it was ... I ..." He couldn't find the words to say what he wanted to Spike, how could he possibly tell her anything? "If I'd have known ... it wouldn't have -"

"You don't have to explain yourself to her," Spike interrupted. "She'll realize soon enough that it wasn't about _you_. It was about_ him_."

"It shouldn't have happened."

"You can't save everybody, Vash. Especially those who don't want to be saved."

"Don't want to be ... or _refuse _to be?" Vash asked as he looked to Spike.

"What do you mean, '_refuse_ to be'?"

"There's more than one way to save a person's life. Sometimes, it's physical or it's emotional. Others, it's mental or even spiritual. Most of the time, though... it's emotional." He couldn't believe that after almost two years, Spike still had not realized Faye loved him. He couldn't possibly be that stupid, could he?

"What're you saying, then? Wolfwood needed emotional salvation?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe Faye isn't so much upset over Wolfwood as someone_ else_?"

Spike stared at him. "A minute ago, you wanted to tell her you were sorry about him. Now, she's upset over something else?" He laughed. "You're more screwed up than I originally thought, Vash."

"I never said it was some_thing_ else, I said some_one_." With that, he headed down the corridor, leaving a confused Spike standing in the doorway.

"What the hell is he talking about?" Spike muttered. He turned his attention back to the woman in the room.

_You could always ask ..._ he thought. _But do you really even care?_

"Faye?"

She turned suddenly when she heard Spike's voice behind her. "What?" she asked, flatly. She scowled in the hopes that, if she were nasty enough, he would leave. She couldn't deal with him right now. Not with all of this other crap going on. "What is it? Can't you see that I'd like to be left _alone_?"

Spike stepped back, sorry that he'd taken a moment of his time to try to give a damn about whatever bothered her. She wanted to be a bitch and he preferred not to be subjected to it. He turned on his heel but stopped before he moved one inch towards the door. No. He wouldn't let her have her way.

"Didn't I tell you -" she began when she saw his reflection in the window. He was coming toward her.

"What's the problem?" Off of her surprised look, he went on. "Ever since we came back, you've gone out of your way to piss me off. Why? Are you taking your anger out on me because Vash couldn't get us to where we exactly belong?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she snapped as she whirled around, her hands clutched into fists at her sides. "_I'm_ going out of my way to piss _you_ off? Let's run through the list of things you've done over the last two years, Spike, that were solely to _aggravate me_!"

"_Me_? Who started that bullshit over the bounty the other day?"

She humorlessly laughed. "Is _that _the only thing you can come up with? I have more. It'll take the rest of the day to say it all." She pointed to the nearby chair. "Sit down and we'll begin."

He waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. "This is pointless. I don't know what possessed me to come in here." He started to leave the room, but came to an abrupt halt when Faye blocked his path. "Get out of the way."

She placed each hand on either side of the doorway. "No. It's time we cleared up a few things, Spike. I'm going to talk -"

"Ha! Like that's anything new," he interjected.

"And you're going to listen," she finished. Her hands gripped the doorway so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She wanted to put a fist into the middle of his face, it took every ounce of her self-control not to do it.

"Not if it's more of your 'everything-you-do-is-to-piss-me-off' bitching and moaning, I won't." He took a step forward. He found himself shoved back into the room by her.

"You've been_ impossible_ since Gunsmoke. You were only difficult before." She put her hands on her hips as she watched him bring out his pack of cigarettes. She was even more irritated that he seemed disinterested in what she had to say. Didn't even care enough to look her in the eye. "I can't take it anymore."

"Fine, then." He lit his cigarette, took a drag and stuffed the pack into his jacket pocket. "Leave. No one's forcing you to stay here, Faye. I never did understand that. Despite all of your bitching about how bad I treat you, you stay. It's your _own fault _you're so goddamn miserable."

"I have as much right to be here as you do!"

He shrugged. "I'm not the one wailing about how awful she has it, am I? If you hate me and hate it here so much -" He made a sweeping gesture. " - there's the door. Goodbye. Frankly, I've had it with your shit."

Her body trembled. Why was he so stupid? Why was _she_ so stupid? "You know ... maybe you're right. Maybe I _should_ leave. Obviously, I was an idiot for believing that this situation would change."

_Situation?_ Spike wondered. _What 'situation' is she talking about?_

"I've wasted two years of my life here." _On you_, she added in her head. _And for what? **Nothing**!_ "It might be time that I _do_ move on. People have the ability to do that, Spike, except for you."

It was his turn to restrain the urge to punch someone. He only took a long drag from his cigarette, slowly exhaled the smoke.

"You shouldn't have any trouble there," he coolly replied. He held the smoldering cigarette between his fore and middle fingers, studying it for a moment before he looked to her and continued. "If, by moving on, you mean sleeping with a guy you met only a few hours before. You did a stellar job of _that_ on Gunsmoke."

She wasn't sure how it happened. She didn't remember her arm moving, or her hand opening, but the loud, resounding "**SMACK**!" proved that she'd actually done it. Once she dared to lift her gaze from her palm, she looked at Spike.

He hadn't seen it _coming_, either. The sting, the span of which was roughly the size of her hand, grew ever more annoying across his left cheek as his body reacted to the hit. Slowly, his free hand brushed over his face then he met Faye's eyes.

She stared back without any real expression on her face. No shock, no anger, no rage, just ... something devoid of classification. And Spike's own face mirrored hers. For a split second, she thought he would return her the favor. Until he finally dropped his hand to his side, Faye had braced herself for it.

"You ..." Her voice was low and icy cold as she spoke. "Don't have any_ idea_ what you're talking about. What happened between us is none of your goddamned business. _Never _say another word to me about Nicholas Wolfwood _ever again_."

In the corridor, Vash leaned back against the wall, his heart sinking in his chest. This wasn't what he'd hoped would happen as a result of them talking. He'd certainly never intended for _that_ to happen.

_Why do they keep doing this?_ he warily wondered. He wanted to do one good thing for Faye during this trip. Something, anything, to begin making it up to her.

He stood straight when the woman came into the corridor. She had an unreadable expression on her face as she looked at him. Desperately, he pretended as though he hadn't been eavesdropping on the entire conversation. When she stepped in front of him, he tried to smile. That didn't last long, however. She promptly delivered a (less violent) slap across Vash's face, too.

"That's for letting him die," she hissed. With one final glare, she stormed down the corridor, headed for her quarters.

Hand resting on his cheek, Vash felt even worse as he watched Faye vanish into the darkness. _Maybe I deserved that ... _His head turned when Spike joined him.

Casually, Spike finished off his cigarette, dropped the butt to the floor, snuffed it out with his shoe then shoved his hands in his pockets. "You were right for once, Vash," he quietly said as he walked by the blond. "She was upset over someone else. Seems that it was me."

"Have you ever wondered why that is?" Vash called out to the retreating figure. He frowned when he received nothing in the way of a response.

That was Spike Spiegel's fundamental problem - he did _nothing_.

* * *

"We've wasted almost two hours scouring the streets, Boss," one of Lao's men complained as he lit up a cigarette. He looked to the man feared second only to Vicious himself. "It's late. We're not gonna find this asshole. He's long gone."

"Am I?"

The man turned when he heard a new voice speak. Lao scanned the darkness (most of the streetlights were out in this area) around them. A hand slipped underneath his coat and rested on the handle of the gun nestled in its holster. He glanced at the rest of his men. They'd actually drawn their weapons and aimed them at various points.

Lao turned when he heard the stranger laugh. "How long have you been following us?"

"Long enough." From the shadows, Knives studied the humans closely. He could tell they were terrified of him; they knew what he could do.

"Then you should know why we're looking for you." Lao pulled his gun from the holster. He stepped back, casually, in the direction from which Knives's voice originated. "We lost a valuable asset. And I lost good men."

"You tell me as though I should care," Knives simply said. He took aim on Lao with his own gun, but refrained from firing. He wanted to toy with them a while longer before he made his move. He needed these disgusting creatures if he hoped to make his new plan work.

"You have _any _idea what happens to people who fuck with us?" another of the men shouted. He kept his weapon pointed at a spot nowhere near Knives.

"Not much, obviously." Knives watched Lao continue to edge closer to his position. _At least one of them isn't a **complete** waste_, he thought.

"And_ who's_ the one hiding?" Suddenly, Lao turned and pointed his gun into the darkness. His smug grin faded when he felt cold metal press into the center of his forehead. As he stepped back, Knives emerged into the light, with Lao's gun in the exact same position against his own head. However, he kept grinning.

"Sir!"

The rest of the men turned their guns on Knives. None dared to fire, though.

Knives pushed the barrel of his gun deeper into Lao's forehead. "You have loyal servants," he said. "I know the value of loyalty. They'll do anything, even give their worthless lives, to protect you. Do yours feel that strongly about _you_?"

Lao glanced at his them then looked back to Knives. "If they're smart, they'll only show that kind of loyalty to one man - Lord Vicious."

"So ... you answer to someone else?" He used his other hand to grab Lao's gun hand by the wrist and jerk it away from his head. He forced the man's arm down, and in just enough time that the shot Lao fired went straight into the ground by Knives' feet. "Tell your trash to back off ..." He tilted his head to one side as he studied the human before him. "Or you're the first to die."

Lao only glared. This was the bastard who was responsible for the deaths of half his crew. They'd been waiting by that spaceport for Spiegel. The bay was a regular hangout/parking spot for the universe's bounty hunters. If Spike returned to Mars, he would surely be there. Now, the place was in shambles. And some of his most trusted, talented soldiers ... dead.

Knives was almost impressed with the idiot's willingness to defy his order. He decided to grant him a little more life before he eventually killed him. "We're on the same side."

"How?"

"Spike Spiegel ..." He smiled wider at the reaction the name brought forth from Lao. "I want him. And anyone else currently associated with him. If you can do this for me, I may spare your lives. Plus, the life of your Lord Vicious."

_Spike? How does he know him?_ Lao wondered. It could be anything with Spiegel. He managed to make more enemies than friends, no matter where he went. The psycho before him obviously wanted to settle an old score.

He glanced at his men. Their orders were to kill Knives on sight. But things were different now. Their target shared a common enemy. What was that old adage? "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". If he passed up the opportunity to allow Vicious to forge an alliance with a man of Knives' apparent considerable power, he might as well let the other man put a bullet in his head. It would be kinder than what Vicious would do to him.

* * *

On the other side of the ruins, MacGruder poked at the heap of rock and twisted steel with the barrel of his shotgun. He rested it on his shoulder as he sighed. Nothin'. Not a goddamn clue as to what caused the mass destruction they'd spent the last two hours scouring through. If it was a military weapon, it was something that he and Linares hadn't laid eyes on.

He scanned the area. They weren't that far from ground zero, maybe five blocks. Damage here was bad. At least _something_ was left behind, unlike the spaceport, which was just a crater. "What the hell's goin' on here?" he muttered.

"Nate!" Linares called out. She gingerly stepped over the debris as she made her way to him. "You won't believe what I just heard."

"Somebody nabbed this guy?" he asked. If someone had, it was a disappointment. Especially after as much time as they'd put in crawling all over this wreckage.

"No. Just heard from Baker's guys. Guess what ship's berthed not far from here?" She waited then nodded when MacGruder realized who she meant. "Looks like we're not the only ones stupid enough to chase this."

"Figures. Doesn't take a college degree to know what they're on Mars for. Come to steal our money."

Linares eyed him. She'd hoped Spike wouldn't show up. That would make an already dangerous job even more so. Nate wasn't at his best with competition around, especially when it was _that_ crew.

"Maybe we should drop by, say hello?"

"How about we _don't_?" She saw the look on his face. "Come on, we're wasting time even talking about this. If you go there, you'll burn up even more - "

MacGruder placed a finger to his lips, shushing her. He turned around and searched the area behind him. "I could've sworn I …" He stopped when he heard it again, what sounded like a kid whimpering. "I _did_!"

Linares watched him leap over a pile of rubble and land on the other side. "What is it?" More carefully, she stepped over the same obstacle and looked down on him. He was on his hands and knees, digging through the debris. "Nate … what is it?"

"Shut up and help me, Linares!" he ordered. He tossed aside a generously sized hunk of concrete. "I heard somebody down here," he explained as she joined him on the ground. "I'm not sure … but it might be a kid."

She watched him feverishly dig into the rubble. After all the time that had passed, he was still reliving it. That day. "Look at this place, Nate," she quietly said. "If anyone _were_ here … "

"_I heard it_!" He used every ounce of his strength to yank one last piece of concrete out of his way. He froze. His eyes locked onto whatever it was he'd just unearthed. "Jesus … "

Linares eyes widened at what MacGruder had found. The body of a dark haired woman, face down, sprawled across another person – and that person was a dirty, blood-spattered child. What must have happened, Linares figured, was the woman used herself to protect the child when the buildings crumbled around them. Unfortunately, she'd given up her life in the process.

"Be careful," MacGruder murmured as they worked the move the woman's lifeless body from atop the child. Soon, the semi-conscious little girl was free. "C'mere, hon. I've got you."

"Watch it. She might have injuries that we can't see," Linares warned as her partner wrapped an arm around the girl's waist. "You have her?"

"Yeah." MacGruder tucked his shotgun into the holster for it strapped across his back. He supported the rest of the girl's weight with his other arm. "Are you awake, kid?"

"Mom?" the girl hoarsely whispered. "Is … that … you?"

"Mom?" Linares shifted her gaze to the woman still half-buried in the rubble. "Nate …"

"Don't worry about your mom," he assured the girl as he moved away from the spot before the girl could see the corpse. "Everything's gonna be just fine. We'll find her soon."

The girl lifted her head from MacGruder's shoulder. Tears streamed down her face, leaving tracks of mud along her dirty cheeks. The bright blue eyes focused on the man who held her. "Who are you?" she asked.

"My name's Nate. This is Ana." He nodded to Linares, who smiled kindly. "You ... have any other family besides your mother?"

She sniffled. "Yeah, my dad and my younger brother. Mom and I … we were supposed to meet them this afternoon." She blinked as she noticed the mess they were in the middle of. "What happened to everything?"

Linares brought out a kerchief then proceeded to wipe away the blood and dirt from the girl's face. "Don't concern yourself about that right now," she gently replied. "What's your name? If we know your name, we'll find your father and brother more quickly."

The girl wiped her fingers over her face, drying the tears that brimmed in her eyes. "Ramona."

"Ramona what?"

"Saverem." She sniffled. "But everybody calls me 'Rem', for short."

"All right, Rem for short, we're gonna take you to our ship, okay?" MacGruder explained as they left the area. "We'll find your family in no time. That's what we do – find people."

"Are you police?"

He laughed. "Nah. Nothin' bad like that. We're – "

"We're here to help," Linares cut in. She shook her head when he looked to her, confused. "You'll be with your family soon, Rem. We promise."

For the first time, Rem managed a smile. "Thank you."

* * *

End Chapter Seven

Song Title Used: "Karma's Payment" - Modest Mouse

* * *


	8. Trust In Me

Chapter Eight: "Trust In Me"

Jet stood at the edge of the ship, his arms folded across his chest as he gazed over the water. Not far away from the temporary port for all other craft, was the smoldering crater that was once a bustling spaceport. The spot where the Bebop was docked marked the extreme edge of damage area. He couldn't figure out how someone related to Vash could be responsible for something like this. Little made sense anymore, though.

His head turned slightly when he heard footsteps behind him. From the corner of his eye, he spotted the bright red of Vash's coat.

Vash stopped in the middle of the deck, his eyes riveted sadly to the remnants of the spaceport. His heart sank further into his chest as he looked down at his feet. He could've prevented this long ago. Why didn't he? What if Spike was right? What if the only way to stop Knives was to kill him? It couldn't be. He wouldn't _let_ it be.

"You all right?"

His head lifted when Jet spoke. He couldn't quite read the expression on the man's face, but what was in his eyes was more than enough – disappointment. He only looked away.

"You think this is your fault, don't you?"

His gaze shifted back to Jet.

"You'd be right." He paused. He hadn't meant for his words to come across so coldly. When they were in his head, they hadn't sounded that way and he hadn't intended them to. "You care_ too_ much, Vash. As noble as it is, it's your greatest weakness. You have to realize, one way or another, that not _everyone_ deserves to live."

Since he'd met him, Vash imagined Jet to be more like him than any of the others on the **Bebop**, even Ed. She was without real life experience, so her optimism was natural, not something that was found from within. Jet had been through a lot, yet retained the honorable traits Vash regarded in humankind. Now, to hear him say that, it hurt.

"You're in the position to make that decision, Mr. Black?"

"When it involves the lives of millions of innocent people, yes, I believe I am." He approached the blond, his arms dropping to his sides. "Your optimism is admirable, I've always thought so. Your sense of reality, however, it's … almost non-existent."

"Murder is reality?"

"Self-defense isn't murder. Life isn't always black and white. Large portions of it are gray." He stopped in front of Vash, his eyes never leaving the other's. "Have you heard the saying 'The good of the many over the good of the few, or the one.'?"

"Yes."

"Do you understand what that _means_?"

"Despite what your colleagues may think, I'm not an idiot."

For a moment, Jet wanted to laugh. He could only imagine the reply Vash's comment would've earned from Spike. "Then you understand what I'm saying, Vash. I know you want to save your brother, but what if you're not able to? What then? Let him continue to do _this_?" He pointed to the one-time spaceport. "Is that it? How's it going to end?"

"I … " He averted his gaze. "I don't know." He didn't like to think in terms of failure. He couldn't fail – not with Knives. He'd promised Rem so many years ago. He'd _promised_.

"If you don't know, you'd better ask someone." He placed a hand on Vash's shoulder. When Vash looked at him, he added, "Starting with yourself." He patted Vash's shoulder then walked away.

As he approached the other side of the deck, he heard familiar voices – Spike's was one of them. His eyes narrowed when he saw another person on the dock with his partner.

"MacGruder."

Great. That was the last thing they needed – the one person in the universe who managed to get under Spike's skin more than Faye.

* * *

"What's your problem, Spiegel?" MacGruder asked as he stepped back from Spike. "I saw the ship and I thought I'd say hi to some fellow bounty hunters." He glanced at Faye, who stood not far behind Spike with her hands on her hips.

"There's only one reason you'd even be here, MacGruder, and it's not to get chatty with 'old friends'." Spike scanned the dock area, wondering where Linares was. He didn't mind the woman, it was this asshole who grated on his last nerve.

"Okay, so I'm after that 300 million woolongs. Sue me."

"_300 million_?" Faye repeated. Her mouth promptly dropped open.

MacGruder looked past Spike to her. "Yeah. Dead or alive. Martian Government matched Earth's bounty. Apparently, everyone's eager to get this Vash the Stampede." He snorted. "Vash the Stampede. What kinda stupid name is that, anyway?"

"300 million?" Faye whispered, her eyes still wide. Vash's brother was worth_ a lot_ of money – dead or alive. Just a third of that bounty would have her set for life. Maybe 100 million woolongs could help her forget about Spike, too.

"Look," MacGruder was saying as Faye tuned back in to the world around her. "We don't like each other –"

"That's one way of putting it," Spike muttered.

"- but if we work _together _on this," MacGruder continued as though Spike hadn't said a word. "Think, Spiegel, for once in your life. Three … hundred … million woolongs. Cut in half, of course; 150 for us and 150 for you.'

Faye came closer. She stopped beside Spike and looked at him. He didn't acknowledge her, he only continued to stare at MacGruder. She wondered what he was thinking. MacGruder and Linares were decent enough bounty hunters. With their help, they could catch Knives in no time.

"Well, what do you say?" MacGruder asked as he hooked his thumbs around the leather straps that criss-crossed his chest.

"You really want my answer?"

Behind Spike and Faye, Jet appeared. He froze in place, curious as to what was going on between these three. And what was it that Spike had an answer for?

"Sometimes … it's about more than just money." Spike shoved his hands in his pockets and smirked slightly. "So piss off."

MacGruder's jaw tightened. "Why you lousy – " His sentence dropped off suddenly when another person joined Jet on the other end of the dock. His eyes narrowed as he grabbed the shotgun from the holster on his back. "Hold it right there, pal!" he shouted as he leveled the gun on the tall blond in the long read coat.

"Oh no," Vash murmured when he saw the gun pointed at him. "Not_ this_ again." He couldn't decide if he should run or attempt to reason with the stranger. Fortunately, and surprisingly, he didn't have to do either.

Spike stepped into MacGruder's line of sight. "Put it down."

MacGruder laughed shortly. "What's this? You in kahootz with this psycho? And to think I used to _respect_ you, Spiegel." His finger curled around the trigger. "Don't believe for a second that I won't blow a hole through you to get to him."

To Spike's surprise, Faye put herself between him and MacGruder. "I guess you'll have to shoot through me, too." _Did** I **just say that?_ She focused on the barrel of MacGruder's shotgun _Why am I doing this? This isn't me. I … I don't do stupid things like this -_

Vash appeared in front of Faye, his arms extended out to his sides and a look of resolve on his face as he stared MacGruder down.

_- **this** idiot does,_ she finished as she shook her head.

"No one's going to die here, not over me," Vash simply stated. He lowered his arms and made his posture as non-threatening as possible. "I'm not the one you're looking for, anyway."

"Vash, what the hell are you doing?" Spike asked as he pushed Faye aside. He felt Vash shove him back, to keep him out of path of MacGruder's shotgun. "This guy will _kill _you. He doesn't care if you're the right brother or not."

MacGruder's brow furrowed. "Brother? What are you talkin' about, brother?"

Ignoring Spike, Vash took two measured steps forward. "The man responsible for the spaceport –" He nodded in the direction of the rubble. "- and for the Earth city, it's my brother. And I plan to stop him."

MacGruder shifted is gaze between Vash and the crew of the **Bebop**. "How dumb do you think I am? Why would your brother have the same name as you?"

"Because that isn't his name." He stopped walking when the man pointed the shotgun in his face. "They're not protecting a killer. I'm not your enemy. _Believe_ me."

He gripped the shotgun tightly. A few beads of sweat rolled down his face. He wasn't sure what to believe. The guy in front of him fit the description … and who knew what Spiegel's game was? "You've got two choices, pal." He pressed his finger to the trigger again. "With your shield, or on it."

"Spoken like a true soldier," Spike murmured.

"Mr. MacGruder! Hey!" a little girl's voice called. "Don't shoot anybody!"

Spike recognized that voice. He momentarily met Faye's gaze. She, too, remembered that day in the alley with Paul Saverem and his daughter. They both watched as the girl, aged a few years, running towards them. Ana Linares was right behind her.

"Rem, stay back!" MacGruder shouted. He cursed when then girl ignored him and jumped in front of Vash. "Dammit. Get out of the way!"

"Rem?" Vash whispered. He stared at the top of the black-haired head. Flashes of the Rem he'd known filled his mind – her smile, her eyes, her face. As well as the last time he ever saw her beautiful face. _'Vash … take care of Knives …'_

Linares came to a halt beside MacGruder. She leaned over and placed her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "She … got away … from me, Nate. Sorry."

"Please, don't shoot anyone," Rem begged. She motioned to Vash. "This isn't the man who was at the spaceport."

"What?" MacGruder narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"That man, the one who did everything, I saw him. He was dressed similar, but he was different." She turned around and looked up to Vash. Her head tilted to one side as she studied him. "He … had a different face. And his eyes, they weren't so friendly."

"Rem?" Vash whispered, unaware he'd spoken aloud. The girl, she resembled the woman he'd known so much. It was eerie. But this couldn't be his Rem, she was over a thousand years too early. If anything, she was an ancestor. In which case, the girl was just as important. This couldn't be coincidence, could it? No. It _couldn't_ be.

She smiled. "Yes, I'm Rem." The smile faded away. "You're not like him. You're not so … sad."

Slowly, MacGruder's shotgun lowered but his finger never left the trigger. "You _saw_ the guy?"

The girl nodded. "He was in the spaceport, watching the news reports about Earth. I asked him if he was the man on the news and he said he was."

"There goes your 300 million, eh, MacGruder?" Spike commented with a smirk.

"Shut the fuck up," MacGruder snarled.

"_Nate_," Linares hissed. She nodded towards the girl when he gave her a puzzled look in response.

Rem gazed up at Spike. "I remember you," she said. She noticed Faye nearby. "The both of you."

"Okay! Time out!" MacGruder exclaimed as he formed his hands into a time out signal. "I've been lost since this guy here is Vash the Stampede, who isn't." He paused, running what he'd just said through his head, trying to make sense of it.

"_Only_ since then?" Spike asked, raising an eyebrow.

He glared. "I'm confused. I don't like bein' confused. Somebody better explain to me what in the hell is going on around here. Right now!"

"It's a long story," Vash calmly replied.

"I don't care if it's _War and Peace_! I want to know what's goin' on!"

"We'll try not to use big words," Spike assured him.

"Fu –"

Linares clamped a hand over MacGruder's mouth. "That'll be fine."

* * *

Phoenix Corp.

* * *

The doors swung open and Knives entered the room. He almost laughed when he saw where Lao Chan had escorted him. It resembled a throne room, as if any of these humans could declare himself more worthy than the others. Their true superior had arrived and he would make them realize it soon enough. Once he'd used them to his purposes, naturally.

"Lord Vicious will see you now," Shin greeted as he half-bowed to Lao and the man he'd brought with him. He felt a chill run down his spine as he caught the cold blue eyes of the blond. He reminded Shin of Vicious … except more … _sinister_. He attempted to smile but that didn't happen.

Lao shoved Shin out of his path as he and Knives approached Vicious who was poised in his chair with more authority than before. When in front of his leader, Lao graciously bowed then looked to Knives with an expectation for him to do the same. "Bow," he prompted in a hushed voice.

Never taking his eyes away from Vicious, Knives replied, "I bow to no one."

Lao's eyes darkened. He pulled out his gun, cocked the hammer and pressed the barrel to Knives' right temple. "_Bow._"

"Lao."

He looked to Vicious when the man spoke. "Yes, sir?"

Vicious gestured for him to lower the gun. "We don't need to bother with formalities."

Gritting his teeth, Lao complied with Vicious' order. He tucked his gun back into its holster underneath his coat then clasped his hands together in front of him.

"Leave us, Lao."

"What?"

"Leave."

Lao stared at Vicious, stunned. "But I – "

"You've done your job?"

He blinked. "Sir?"

"You've found our missing brother?"

"No, I haven't."

"Then you haven't done your job. Go." He glanced to his left. "And take Shin with you this time."

"_Shin_?" He shifted his gaze to the man, who seemed equally surprised at Vicious' command. "Sir, he doesn't even – "

"Go."

His shoulders slumped. "Yes, of course, Lord Vicious," he murmured as he bowed respectfully. As he passed by him, he grabbed Shin by an arm. The still befuddled young man was practically dragged out of the room, his gaze flicking between Lao and Vicious.

Once the doors closed with a resounding clang, Vicious shifted his attention to Knives. He carefully studied him for a minute before he spoke. "You've been a menace to me, do you realize this?" he asked, his voice a monotone.

"Am I supposed to care?"

Vicious pressed the tips of his fingers together as he leaned forward. He recognized the emptiness in the blond's eyes. He knew it. Whatever part of him that was capable of feeling, of caring, of being ... human, it died long ago. "Spike Spiegel," he quietly said. "You're searching for him. Why?"

"He'll be useful for my side project," Knives casually replied. He glanced at the shadows to the left of Vicious' chair. "I'm looking for my own wayward brother. His connection to this ... Spike will surely draw him out. I have plans in mind afterward, as well."

"What do you plan to do afterward?"

"Finish what I started."

"Which is?"

"Turned on your monitor lately?"

Vicious stared. Obviously, Knives was completely insane. What other sort of man would make such a declaration without fear of what may happen to him? Still, if this person could bring Spike to him, it would be worth putting up with asinine delusions of grandeur. Once he was reunited with his old friend, he would simply eliminate Knives.

Knives smiled inwardly at the reaction he'd garnered from Vicious. So, he believed him to be insane? If that's what made him feel safe, so be it. He had no care for what this cold human thought. He had knowledge of the universe, the time, the man he sought, and the resources to make something happen. Allying himself with Vicious was merely a courtesy, in his opinion. Also, it could prove to be ... fun.

After a few minutes of dead silence, Vicious spoke. "When you've used Spike for your own purposes, he becomes mine." He paused. "Is that ... acceptable?"

Knives shrugged. "We both want different things and he's the key to mine. A key is useless after it has unlocked the desired door."

Vicious rose to his feet, stepped down to Knives' level and offered his hand. "We have our alliance, then."

He stared at the hand, then looked to the garbage who offered it to him. Normally, he wouldn't insult himself by touching one of them, but sacrifices had to be made for the greater good. His hand clasped Vicious' and he forced a smile. "Yes. That we do."

* * *

End Chapter Eight

Song Title Used: "Trust In Me" - The Jungle Book (1967)

* * *


	9. Someone To Watch Over Me

Chapter Nine: "Someone To Watch Over Me"

Nathaniel MacGruder had heard a fair share of bullshit stories in his time, but the one he'd spent the last two hours soaking in ... well, that one took the cake. Time travel, guys with built-in apocalyptic weaponry, and half a dozen other things he'd hadn't even begun to process. After all of that, he had the distinct feeling Spiegel and this Vash character weren't telling him_ everything_.

"I have to be outta my freaking mind," MacGruder muttered as he pressed his hands to the sides of his head. "Some of this actually makes sense. In a screwed up way, that is."

Spike offered his pack of cigarettes to MacGruder. "Believe me, it won't get any easier. Even two years after the fact, I still have trouble."

MacGruder waved off Spike's offer. "I could use a stiff drink." He looked over to his sergeant. "Linares, you got anything on you?"

She stared at him. "Oh, of course, Nate. I carry things like that on me all off the time. Forget useful items, such as weapons and ammo."

"You're being sarcastic, aren't you?" MacGruder replied as he looked at her, thoroughly unamused. He turned back to Spike who sat beside Vash on the couch. "I don't get it. Why is your brother dressing like you and using your name?"

"Yeah, that's a good question," Spike said. "What _is _the point of that?"

"Is it because he wants you dead?" asked Linares. "Since the Martian Government doubled the bounty, they're not picky about how you're turned in – dead or alive."

"No," Vash softly answered. "It's the same reason he sent the Gung Ho Guns. He's trying to force me to kill - " He stopped before he finished his sentence. 'Kill again'. He avoided eye contact with every person in the room. That was the only part of the story he'd never told them and he didn't want them to hear. "It's his game. You'll surely be a part of it, if he finds you."

MacGruder sat back in his chair. "So then what's the plan? Because you're stuck with us until this is over." He grinned. "And we get half."

"_Excuse _me?" Spike leaned forward. "I must not've heard you clearly – we're _stuck _with you?"

"We'd be fools to work alone." He waved a hand at Vash. "Guy's lookin' for his brother, so I say we give him over. Set the trap and bait it. Where's the problem?"

"Well, I - "

"It's more complicated than that," Jet interrupted Vash.

"Oh, really? More complicated than time travel?" He laughed. "You can't possibly outdo that one."

"We're not going to turn him over to the authorities when we find him."

"What? _Are you fucking serious_?"

"Would I joke about a 300 million woolong bounty?"

Grumbling a few curses, MacGruder stood up. "You're_ insane_! We have this thing practically in the bag, and you don't want to turn him in! _Why_?"

"We made an agreement with Vash earlier," Jet explained. "When we found his brother, we'd give him a chance to talk with him."

MacGruder stopped pacing. "Do I look like I give a shit? You know what 150 million woolongs would do for me?"

"Buy a better haircut?" Spike suggested.

MacGruder made a move in Spike's direction but Vash was in between them in an instant. He stared at MacGruder, who was temporarily surprised at how quickly Vash moved. He narrowed his eyes. "You don't want to start with me, pal," he warned.

"Nate ..." Linares started.

"_Shut up_!"

"You shouldn't speak that way to a lady, Mr. MacGruder," Vash evenly admonished.

MacGruder's hands tightened into fists as he gritted his teeth. "You tellin' me how to act?"

"Someone needs to."

"Maybe someone should teach you to mind your own goddamned business." MacGruder followed up the comment by throwing a punch at Vash. He never connected with his target, though. He gasped at his fist which was firmly clasped in Vash's right hand. When he tried to pull it away, he realized that he couldn't move. "What the - "

Vash tightened his grip just enough to show MacGruder he could do damage, if he chose to.

"Nate ..." Linares rose to her feet, looking from MacGruder's fist grasped in Vash's to her partner, who clenched his teeth in pain. "Stop acting like an asshole for two seconds, would you?"

Vash shifted his gaze to Linares. Until then, the woman had been the picture of coolness, as though nothing could ruffle her. His hand released MacGruder's.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, more to Linares than MacGruder.

"Goddamn right you are," MacGruder muttered. He flexed his fingers, shaking his head._ Christ, that guy's got a grip on him. Doesn't look like much on the outside ..._ When he noticed Linares watching him, he turned away.

She looked to Spike and Jet. "If we're able to stop this man from killing more innocent people, we can agree to not turn his brother over to the ISSP." She flicked her gaze to Vash. "Whatever happens after that ... it's on you. Don't forget it."

He nodded in reply. He understood. All too well. It'd been on him for 120 years already in his own time. He was used to it.

"What about that kid?" MacGruder asked, his back still to them. He looked over his shoulder. "Shouldn't we find the rest of her family first?" He chuckled lightly. "Or maybe that's not such a good idea, considering you promised to kill her old man if you ever set eyes on him again, Spiegel."

"Who the hell told you that?"

"She did. Told me about that encounter a few years back." He fully turned around. "So ... maybe we keep the kid with us until this is over. I'd rather not see her lose her father, too."

"Never knew you cared about anyone other than yourself," Spike dryly said.

He ruefully smiled. "You'd be surprised at how much I _do_ care."

* * *

Meryl leaned back against the wall, her legs tucked halfway underneath of her on Faye's bed as she watched Rem sleep peacefully beside her. Ever since she'd taken charge of the girl, Meryl couldn't help but wonder if the girl was related to Vash's Rem. Or was it mere coincidence? She couldn't get that expression on Vash's face out of her mind, either. It was as though he'd met a ghost.

Rem.

It couldn't be a coincidence. From the way Vash described his Rem, this child bore a strong resemblance to her. She brushed the loose strands of black hair away from the girl's face. She'd often wondered what Rem Saverem was like since she learned of her. Obviously, her impact on Vash was massive. If not for her, he wouldn't lead the life he did. He clung to her ideals almost like they were Rem herself. If he let go, even for just one second, she would forever slip away.

A light knock on the door roused Meryl from her thoughts. She turned as Faye opened it and poked her head inside. She glanced at the girl then settled her gaze on Meryl. "How is she?"

"Asleep." Meryl placed her feet on the floor. "Did you hear anything?"

Faye stepped into the room. "The other bounty hunters, Linares and MacGruder, they're going to help us find Vash's brother." She leaned against the wall. "They've agreed not to turn him over to the ISSP, too." Her head bowed as she recalled the confrontation between Vash and MacGruder. "Can I ask you something?"

"About what?"

"Vash." She lifted her head and looked Meryl in the eye. "I ... I've been ... wondering." She paused, unsure if she should even ask, but it nagged at her now more than ever. "Do you ... believe he's capable of killing someone?"

Instantly, Meryl's mind flashed back to that day, with Legato. In the next moment, she quietly replied, "Yes. I do." Still, she suspected if he were ever faced with that choice again, and he chose to kill, he wouldn't be able to survive.

Faye's expression softened. She'd asked something that she obviously shouldn't have. Whatever the story behind it, Meryl's answer wasn't a pleasant one for her to say aloud. "Look ... they're going to work out a plan to find Vash's brother. You should be involved."

Meryl glanced at Rem. "I told Vash I would watch her ... "

"She'll be fine by herself. We could have Ed stay with her," Faye offered.

Meryl contemplated her options. She wanted to be as much of a help as she could to Vash, yet baby-sitting a child they didn't even know didn't seem like much help.

She rose to her feet. "Let's find Ed, then."

* * *

"You're a hindrance. I don't know why Lord Vicious sent you with me." Lao kept his eyes on the numbers as the elevator rose to the top floor of the Phoenix Corp's building. "And I'm going to make certain he knows that, too."

Shin bowed his head. He knew the work Lao did wasn't for him. For whatever reason, Vicious wanted him out of the building, and sending him with Lao Chan was the quickest solution.

The bell dinged and the doors slid open. As soon as Lao and Shin stepped off of the elevator they were stopped by another man outside of the door to Vicious' private office.

"He's busy," grumbled the man. "He'll see you later."

"He'll want to know what I have to tell him. Step aside." Lao made a move for the door but the guard blocked his path.

"He's not to be disturbed."

Shin glanced from Lao to the other man. He didn't want unneeded bloodshed in their own building. Not because Lao couldn't understand a simple directive from their boss. He began to intervene but shut his mouth when Lao drew his gun.

"Move," he ordered, shoving the barrel into the man's gut. "Or I'll go over your dead body."

The man glanced at the gun, then his jaw tightened when he heard Lao click off the safety. His gaze shifted to Shin, who remained quiet. He looked to Lao and, after a moment, stepped aside.

"Whatever happens to you is your own fault."

Lao tucked his gun back into the holster until his coat. "I'll take my chances." He grabbed Shin by the arm of his coat. "Come on."

Inside, Vicious swiveled around in his leather chair when he heard the door clatter open. He narrowed his gaze briefly on Lao, who practically dragged Shin into the room behind him. "I thought I left instructions to not be interrupted?" he said when the man came to a halt in front of his desk.

"That's what I was told, but I thought you might be interested in knowing where Spike Spiegel is, sir."

Across the room, Knives, who'd been staring out of the window upon the city below, turned at the mention of Spike's name. He was rather impressed a human produced positive results so soon.

"Why didn't you ... acquire him?" Vicious asked.

He pointed to Shin. "You sent _him _along, sir. I would've been able to do it with _my_ men."

Shin looked away, flushing slightly with embarrassment.

Vicious leaned back in his chair, watching Lao closely. "You couldn't leave him and do it on your own? Spike is only one man, Lao."

"One man on a ship full of heavy hitters – including that bastard Nathaniel MacGruder." He looked to Knives, who now stood to Vicious's left. "And if that brother of yours is anything like you, I made the right decision in leaving it alone."

Knives grinned. Oh, this was too easy. Fate had worked in his favor yet again. First, with the time period and now this. _Let him enjoy his time with his precious garbage._ He chuckled darkly. _It makes what's to come all the more miserable for him._

"I don't know what the hell you're laughing about. This only makes my job harder." Lao glared at Knives when the man continued to chuckle. "Two ex-soldiers, one ex-cop, one half-crazy woman and Spiegel – if you think _you_ can do it - "

Vicious held up a hand. "We won't need to do anything."

Lao's brow furrowed in confusion. "Sir?"

"I have an idea that will ultimately bring him to us."

Lao glanced from Vicious to Knives. What exactly had they been discussing before he'd arrived? "If you don't mind my asking, sir, what's the idea?"

"I'll inform you later. Until then ... leave us."

His hands tightened briefly into fists. After a moment, he sighed. "Yes, sir." With a respectful bow, he backed away. Shin followed suit.

Once they were gone, Knives moved around to the opposite side of Vicious' desk. He placed his hands flat on the polished mahogany and leaned forward. "What_ is_ this plan of yours?" he inquired, a partial smirk on his face.

"I attempted to bring him to me once before. I wasn't ... forward enough, though."

Knives lifted an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure your next ... attempt will be successful?"

"Because ..." He folded his hands together. "... it's the one thing he's never been able to walk away from."

The expression on Knives' face didn't reveal his annoyance with the cryptic response. Still, he refrained from doing what he normally would in such a situation. No. He would humor this human. And see if his "idea" panned out.

* * *

"Nate?"

MacGruder turned slightly when he heard Linares. She stood about ten feet away from him on the deck of the **Bebop**, her arms wrapped around herself to ward off the early evening chill. "What're you doing out here? I thought you and Black were working on a plan with the blond guy, _whoever_ he is."

"We have some ideas." She approached. "It'd probably help if Spike wasn't doing the same thing you are."

"What's he doin'?"

"Standing on the dock down there, smoking a cigarette and staring off into space." She stopped beside him. "I noticed you didn't tell them."

MacGruder took a drag off his cigarette, then flicked the butt into the water. "Tell them what?"

"You know what ... it's why Dubois happened."

"Oh. That."

"You realize his story about the generators, the ships ... it's all true. Where he says he's from -" She paused when he continued to avoid eye contact. "Do you know how this changes things?"

He shrugged. "How? People are still dead."

"I'm talking about the future, not the past. We know their plans weren't in vain."

"Doesn't justify the murder of almost a thousand people." He finally looked at her. "Is that what you're trying to do, Linares? Make me feel better about leading an assault on a bunch of poorly armed colonists because the government needed that material for their research? Is that it?"

"That is not what I'm saying."

"Those people are _dead_. I could've prevented it, but I didn't. Orders were orders. I don't care if the future turned into a paradise because of that research. They never had a chance. Now I'm stuck living with it."

"Nate!" Linares yelled as he walked away. When he didn't stop, she ran to catch up to him. "Would you hold on?" She clamped a hand on his shoulder and forced him around. "I wasn't trying to excuse what we did, there's no excuse for it. It's just that ... " She couldn't find the words for how she felt. Even though so many were killed, it had helped to secure a future for the rest of humanity.

MacGruder shook his head. As he looked to his right, he saw something peculiar. Spiegel was having a chat with some kind of courier. He saw Spike accept an envelope from the man then look it over.

"What's going on here?" he murmured.

"Huh?" Linares followed his gaze. Spike had opened the envelope and read the note contained inside of it. A moment later, Spike crumpled the paper then tossed it aside. He stood there, staring at the darkening sky for almost a full minute before he started to walk away.

"Where's _he _goin'?" MacGruder wondered as Spike vanished from sight.

* * *

Faye leaned back on the sofa, her arms draped over the back of it, and she continued to stare at one of the few remaining pieces of evidence that Nicholas D. Wolfwood would ever exist. His cloth-swathed cross remained propped in the far corner of the room, where it had been since Vash and Meryl joined them on the ship. If anyone else were in the room, she would've kept ignoring it.

Everyone else had disappeared in the last ten minutes. Jet, Spike, Vash – all of them. No one wanted to admit they didn't have a damn clue as to how to move forward. Whatever idea MacGruder had Spike didn't like. Whatever plan Spike formulated Vash didn't like. It was pointless. They were on the verge of annihilation and couldn't find any common ground.

_What would you have done?_ she wondered as she stared at the cross. A faint smile appeared on her face._ Whatever Spike wanted to do, of course._ Those two were more alike than either could imagine. Trapped by their pasts. When Wolfwood broke away from his, he'd paid for it with his life.

MacGruder leaned into the room, peered around for any sign of Vash or Jet, then he entered. Faye was there. She was the one he wanted to see, anyway. If anybody would go along with this, she would.

"Psst!" He crept further into the room. "Hey ... Valentine."

She blinked when she heard someone say her name. Swiveling around on the sofa, she found MacGruder behind her. "What?"

"There's somethin' going on." He glanced at the half-crumpled piece of paper in his hand.

She arched an eyebrow. "What is?" She stared at the paper when MacGruder shoved it in her face. After a moment, she shook her head and accepted it. "What's this?"

"Just _read_ it."

Sighing, she unfolded the paper and began to read. Her expression changed with each sentence – from surprise, to confusion, to shock and, finally, ended with subdued anger. Her gaze lifted from the note and she narrowed her eyes at him. "Where did you get this?"

"Spiegel threw it away."

"You saw him do it?"

"Yeah. Tossed it aside right after he read it. Then he left."

Her eyes widened as she jumped to her feet. "_He left?_"

"About five minutes ago." He watched her pull on her red jacket then check the clip in one of her guns. "I take it we're following him?"

"_Somebody _has to stop him from making a huge mistake."

"And that somebody has to be _you_, huh?"

She glanced at him but didn't say anything.

"Aren't you going to tell Jet?" he called out as Faye headed for the door.

She turned. "No. Jet doesn't need to know. I won't be gone long. Not long enough for him to notice I'm gone, anyway."

MacGruder shook his head then glanced over his shoulder at the cross propped up in the corner. He wondered what the story was behind that and why it bothered Valentine so much. With that, he followed behind her.

"You're not going alone!" he called out.

* * *

Ed clicked away on her keyboard, surfing the Net as she hummed a tune. She'd been in Faye's quarters with the strange girl the other two bounty hunters had found in the rubble near the spaceport. She'd also become curious about Ramona Saverem. Vash was enamored by her, she wanted to know why.

She turned up very little on the Saverem family, however. The father was reportedly part of the Red Dragon Syndicate before he mysteriously disappeared over ten years ago. The mother, Laura, wasn't connected to the Syndicate in any way, shape or form. A simple woman who'd led a crime-free life. The two children were average – nothing particularly special about either of them.

Pulling off her goggles, Ed frowned. Why did Vash have such an interest in this girl? He couldn't _possibly_ know her, so what was it? She sighed as she looked over to Ein who sat on the floor beside her. The dog cocked his head to one side and barked.

A moment later, the door opened and Vash leaned inside. He smiled a little at Ed, then checked on Rem. The girl was still asleep. She'd been through so much, no wonder she was exhausted. His gaze shifted back to Ed. "Are you all right in here?"

She shrugged then went back to toying with her computer.

Frowning, Vash entered the room and squatted down beside her. "What's the matter?" When she only ignored him, he pushed the keyboard away until it was out of her reach. Finally, she looked at him. "Are you mad at me?"

A half-shrug.

"Did I do something?"

Ein barked.

Vash turned to the Corgi, noticing the dog wagged his tail at Rem. Then it made sense. Ed was envious of the attention he showed to the other girl. "It's Ramona, isn't it?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Who _is_ she?" Ed quietly asked as she avoided eye contact with him.

"Someone who needs help."

"And that makes her more important than me?"

He placed a hand to the side of Ed's face and turned her head so she would look at him. "No, it doesn't make you any less important, Ed. She's a little girl in trouble. Like you were, when I first met you."

"Does she remind you of somebody else?"

His hand dropped from Ed's face as he glanced over his shoulder to Rem. "Yes. Someone who was very important to me when I was in trouble. And when I wasn't."

"Is she still around?"

Vash's head bowed and he sighed heavily. "No, she's not. She ... died, a long time ago."

Ed nodded. She knew what he meant - 'she hasn't died yet, but she will'. "You don't want to see something like that happen to her?" She gestured to Rem on the bed.

"No. I don't want anything to happen to you, either."

She frowned slightly. "Will your brother really kill everyone?"

"If I don't stop him, he will."

"_Can_ you?"

Vash blinked, surprised by the blunt question. He would have expected it from Spike or Faye or even Jet, but not Ed. She'd always had a blind faith in him. Apparently, she'd changed in the last two years as well. Instead of answering her question, he held open his arms.

After hesitating, Ed wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She felt better when he returned her embrace. She'd missed him so much. If only she'd been able to stay on Gunsmoke with him, he probably wouldn't be so sad now. Or maybe she would've ended up like the priest man. She saw how upset Faye was over that, she wouldn't want Vash the same way over her.

"Are you scared, Vashy?" she asked in a hushed tone.

He closed his eyes. Memories of the Gung Ho Guns, Knives, July City, Rem, Meryl and Milly, along with Legato, flashed through his mind in a instant. His eyes opened.

"Yes, I am," he whispered.

"Me too."

* * *

End Chapter Nine

Song Title Used: "Someone To Watch Over Me" - George & Ira Gershwin

* * *


	10. Love Is A Deserter

Chapter Ten:  
"Love Is A Deserter"

Rain.

Didn't it just figure? It'd rained that day, too. Was it a harbinger of things to come? Then again, that probably wasn't what he thought it would be. Which was why Spike kept his jacket open, should he need to defend himself on this ... adventure.

He stopped in front of a row of headstones and his gaze shifted to the one beside him. Not only had Vicious destroyed Julia, he'd taken away the one person Spike was able to count on in the years after he'd left the Syndicate – Annie. Her headstone was simple. Nothing flashy. That wasn't the woman's style. He'd liked that about her. At least one woman in his life wasn't a mystery. Julia was an enigma because she chose to be; Faye was because she couldn't remember who she'd been. Annie had no secrets.

He leaned over, placed the single rose at the base of the headstone the let his hand rest on the rain-soaked granite for a moment. If only he would've been there, he could've saved her. Things wouldn't be the way they were if it hadn't been for that goddamned freak accident.

"You forgot your umbrella."

The silhouette of a figure, complete with an umbrella of its own, cast a faint shadow by the lights illuminating the graveyard.

"I didn't expect anyone who isn't dead to be here, why should I care how I look?"

"It isn't about how you _look_, Spike. It's about your well-being."

"That's funny, especially coming from you ..." He stood straight then finally faced the person he'd traveled all of this way to see. "... Julia."

The blonde woman held onto the umbrella with both hands as she shrugged. "You look exactly the same. I didn't believe it when I heard it, though. It's been ... " Her voice trailed off as she continued to stare at him.

Water dripped from Spike's head as he looked back at her with little expression on his face. "Twelve years," he supplied. "I never would've guessed a dead woman could keep so well."

"I can explain everything ..."

"You really think I want to listen?" he coldly replied.

"It's ... complicated."

There was that word he hated - "_complicated_".

"You were alive and you never tried to find me. It doesn't get any simpler than that."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she closed the rest of the distance between them. "_You _vanished for ten years. An entire decade. What did you expect from me? When I came looking for you, you were nowhere to be found."

"And the three years prior?" He noticed a glint in her eyes. She was growing irritated. But so was he. "What's your excuse for _that_? Don't tell me it was 'complicated', either. I wasn't impossible to find back then. I had the same face, the same name."

She shook her head. "What's happened to you?" she finally asked. "You haven't changed on the outside, but you're a different person. Where did you go?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He glanced over his left shoulder. He had the distinct feeling they were being watched. "_You _asked _me_ here, Julia. I thought it was to give me some answers, not to get the third degree."

"You want to ask questions?"

"Yes."

"Then ask." She quickly glanced over her right shoulder. Like Spike, she suspected they were under surveillance.

"Why are you still alive?"

"You're rather blunt."

"I don't have the time to stand here and bullshit with you."

"Oh? Really?"

"I almost killed Paul Saverem because of you, Julia. Why are you alive?"

"Saverem wasn't there," Julia replied after a solid minute of silence. She was taken aback by his manner with her. "He was in the car, waiting for the others. What does he know?"

Spike's hands tightened into fists deep inside of his pants pockets. She was so ... blasé about it. He'd spent the better part of two years mourning her "death" and she didn't seem to care. "How did you survive?"

She looked away, gazing down the grassy hill at the shimmering city below. "Vicious. I wanted to ..."

"You wanted to live," he finished.

She shifted her gaze back to him. "If you were in my position, you wouldn't have felt the same way?"

"I wouldn't beg anyone, especially not _him_, for my life."

"Things are different when your own mortality looks you in the eye."

A silence fell between them. Only the sound of the rain gently pattering against the ground and the headstones, along with the occasional rumble of distant thunder, could be heard.

"You've been with him for the last twelve years?" Spike quietly inquired.

"He spared my life. And I gave it to him in return." She turned away from him a little. "Then ... I couldn't stand it any longer. I siphoned money from one of the lesser accounts. When I had enough ..."

"You fled."

"Yes," she said, looking to him. "He's been searching for me ever since."

"I saw your bounty."

Julia lifted her eyes to the dark sky. "The rain's letting up," she commented. Her gaze met his and she managed a small smile. "Perhaps it's a good omen for us, Spike."

"Good omens were never a part of our relationship, Julia. Why should Fate begin to look kindly on us now?"

* * *

"I wish I could _hear_ something," Faye muttered as she peered through the thick bushes on the hill just behind Spike. She could only see Julia's face since his back was to her. Judging by the expression on the blonde's face, whatever Spike had said surprised her. "We should've hid on the other side."

MacGruder rubbed his hand over his hair. At least the goddamned rain had finally stopped. It was bad enough being huddled in the brush with Valentine, then to be soaked to the bone on top of it? He wondered what possessed him to follow her. "I gather this broad's the reason Spiegel has the Red Dragons after him?" he grumbled.

"It's ... complicated." Even she wasn't 100 certain what it was all about, only that Spike had left and Vicious hadn't appreciated it.

"If she's even part of the reason, I'd say it's worth it. How does a chump like him get so lucky?"

"Would you _shut up_?" she snapped as she glared over her shoulder at him, then went back to watching Spike and Julia. _I wish I could hear what they were saying ..._

MacGruder settled into a more comfortable position on the ground. "What the hell do you see in that guy, anyway?"

She twisted at the waist and eyed him. "What do you mean by that?"

"What do you think I mean?" He unstrapped his shotgun from his body and placed it on the ground beside him. He pulled his shirt off then wrung the excess water out of it. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Are you suggesting something?"

"If you mean suggesting that you have a thing for that punk down there, then yeah, I am." He chuckled as he pulled his damp shirt back on. "Person'd have to be _blind _not to see it."

Glaring, Faye leaned forward and jabbed a finger in his face. "Look, the _only_ reason I'm here is because _he_ makes a lot of bounty money. Jet and I need him. That's _all_." With a 'hmph', she whirled around and continued surveillance.

He slyly smiled. "Really now? And why didn't you tell Jet about this, instead of sneaking off?"

She spun around again. "Because ... " She paused, trying to come up with a suitable excuse. "Because ... he just would've been in the way. Besides, if he found out, Vash would've known. I don't want _that_ moron hanging around."

The sound of a gun hammer being cocked made both of them freeze.

"We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Lao grinned when MacGruder turned around and Faye's eyes flicked over to him. "You two are company, he just would've made it a crowd."

MacGruder's hand inched towards the hand gun tucked into the waist of his pants. Another gun being cocked stopped him.

"Please, keep your hands down," Shin ordered. He'd attempted to sound forceful, but he wasn't convincing to himself. "Miss ... if you'll hand over your guns ..."

Lao yanked the gun from MacGruder's pants waist and kicked the shotgun towards the rest of his men outside of the tall bushes. "Goddamnit, Shin, just take them from her. Don't _ask_."

Shin took a step closer to Faye, who simply opened up her drenched red jacket, revealing more than her holstered weapons to him. He reached for one of them, but his hand stopped. He glanced at her. He knew how dangerous this woman could be.

Lao shoved MacGruder out of his way, to the rest of his men, as he approached Faye. "We don't have all day," he snarled. He pulled one gun from Faye's holster and handed it to Shin then reached for the other.

Faye used the slight distraction to draw back a fist and deliver a nasty right cross to Lao's face. She smirked when Lao touched the back of his hand to the left corner of his mouth. He glanced at the blood then settled his gaze on her.

"I'm glad you did that," he murmured. Without warning, he returned the favor. He succeeded in knocking her completely out, though. He wiped the blood away from his mouth again and left the bushes. "Pick her up. We'll take these two to Lord Vicious."

Shin stepped over Faye and pushed by one of the men who'd moved forward to grab the woman. "Lao ... he wanted us to - "

Lao pivoted sharply bringing Shin to an abrupt halt. "Spike is Julia's job, not ours. We're simply here to back her up, if she needs it."

"But - " Shin's shoulders slumped as Lao turned his back on him. This wasn't part of the plan. What would Vicious say?

* * *

"What do you want from me, Julia?"

She closed her umbrella. "I thought I was rather clear in my note." A hand lifted and her fingers gently traced the curve of his jaw. "We can disappear. Together. Isn't that what we've always wanted? Isn't that what you died for?" She drew closer. "Isn't it?"

"Fifteen years ago, it was."

Her hand fell away from his face. "What?"

"You're right. I'm _not _the same person I was then." He shook his head, laughing a little. The smile faded as he looked her in the eye. "I thought I would find the woman I loved here. I didn't. You are. And you're not her."

"What are you saying?"

"The Julia I know, she doesn't exist. She's dead. She's _been _dead for twelve years."

Dropping the umbrella to the ground, Julia entwined her arms around Spike's neck then pulled him to her lips. After a few seconds, it became apparent that he wouldn't return her affection. As she let go of him, she opened her eyes and stepped away.

"Goodbye, Julia," Spike murmured.

After one last look, he turned and began to walk away. He kept his head bowed, watching as the wet pavement scrolled by underneath his feet. In his mind, the bright image of the woman he'd loved faded again. By the time he'd reached the gates of the cemetery, she was gone.

He stopped then looked over his shoulder. And so was the woman who'd claimed to be her.

* * *

"Where's Faye?"

Vash lifted his head. "Huh?"

Jet was in the door way of the main living area, a concerned look on his face. "Faye – she's nowhere on the ship. You haven't seen her lately, have you?"

"Nate's missing, too," Linares added as she came up behind Jet. "I've even checked our own ship – they aren't there."

Vash rose to his feet. "I haven't seen her for a while." He watched Jet and Linares exchange glances. "You've looked everywhere?" What if something had happened to them? What if _someone_ had?

"The entire ship," Jet replied.

"What's going on?" asked Spike as he came up behind Jet and Linares. He saw the look on both of their faces.

On the top of the metal staircase, Meryl appeared. "Her ship is still in the hanger, Mr. Black," she reported.

"Goddamnit. Where'd they _go_?" Jet muttered.

"Faye's missing?" Spike raised an eyebrow. "This is new?"

"Nate's gone, too," Linares added.

Spike squeezed between her and Jet as he entered the room. "Where's the problem?"

"Spike, we don't need this bullshit right now," Jet growled. "With the danger out there - "

"It's pretty obvious what they did," Spike cut in. He lit up a cigarette, took a drag and looked at each person in the room. "They're chasing 300 million woolongs."

"Our ship is still in the harbor," Linares said.

"They didn't go anywhere." Spike shrugged. "Bounty's on Mars." He collapsed onto the sofa and draped his arm over the back of it as he glanced at Vash. "Maybe they aren't even looking for your brother."

Vash looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

Spike chuckled. "Maybe they ran off together," he joked.

"That's ridiculous!" Linares exclaimed as she came towards him. "That would never happen and you know it."

Spike exhaled a cloud of smoke in her direction. "What makes you so damn sure about that?"

Vash's eyes widened in a panic as he jumped to his feet. Somehow, he just knew what was coming. He put up a hand to stop Linares, his mouth opened to say something, anything, before she could. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough this time.

"Because ... she's in love with _you_, you idiot!" Linares snapped.

Vash's arm fell to his side as he dropped his head. Dammit. _He wasn't supposed to find out that way ..._ He looked from Jet, who didn't appear to be as surprised by the news as Vash imagined he would be, then settled his gaze on Spike.

His stunned expression gave way to amusement, then he laughed. "That's a good one! I swear, I _almost_ believed you." Shaking his head, he looked up to her. To his surprise, she wasn't laughing. She didn't even have a smile on her face.

Meryl stopped at the bottom of the stairs. She glanced from Spike to Vash. She could tell Vash was crushed that he wasn't able to stop the woman from blurting out Faye's well kept secret. Her lips pressed together and one of her hands gripped the railing.

Spike shifted his gaze from Linares to Jet, who quickly looked away. He then looked to Vash. He appeared to be embarrassed by the uncomfortable silence between all of them.

_He knew._ Spike thought. _That son of a bitch already **knew** ..._

Once Spike finished his cigarette, he snuffed out the butt and rose to his feet. "Well," he quietly said, breaking the calm. "We'd better go look for them."

Vash opened his mouth as Spike brushed by him but he couldn't think of anything to say. What was there to say? The secret, such as it was, was out. The ball was in Spike's court now. When they finally found Faye, the next decision was his to make.

* * *

End Chapter Ten

Song Title Used: "Love Is A Deserter" - The Kills

* * *


	11. It's All Coming Back To Me Now

Chapter Eleven: "It's All Coming Back To Me Now"

Faye's eyes slowly drifted open. Once she was able to focus, she found herself staring at a wall. The floor beneath her was cool but the room itself wasn't. She heard someone move behind her. Her body stiffened.

"Valentine ... you awake?"

It was MacGruder.

She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked over her shoulder. MacGruder leaned against the wall, his head tipped back as he stared into the empty room beyond. He chuckled. "Didn't think you were gonna wake up after that."

Faye brushed her hair out of her face then glanced around. The room they were in was massive. A few banners with the logo of the Red Dragon Syndicate fluttered against the far wall where a single unoccupied chair was placed. Her legs tucked underneath her body as she turned to him.

"Do you know where we are?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't say for certain, but if I had to guess, we're in Thug Central."

She rubbed her temples as she stared at the floor. Why did she have the feeling she knew where they were? Then she recalled a few days before, what Spike said about the Phoenix Corp. building being a front for the Red Dragons as well as their main headquarters.

"How long have we been out?"

"Couple of hours, maybe?" He leaned forward. "Haven't seen anyone since I came to. That's been about half an hour."

Carefully, Faye rose to her feet and cast another glance around the room. "No way out?"

"Oh, there's a door. You're just on the wrong side of it." He looked up to her. "I've tried already, Valentine." He watched her pace back and forth. "What's wrong?"

She stopped and looked down to him. "Isn't it obvious?"

"You don't have to worry. Spiegel ain't here."

She narrowed her eyes. "As though I would _care_ -"

He held up his hands. "Let's not get into this, okay?" The woman continued to pace. "Still doesn't explain why you'd want to follow him without telling anybody."

Faye opened her mouth to say something but the sound of the only visible doors into the room creaking open cut her off.

Eyes on the shadowed figure in the doorway, MacGruder slowly got to his feet. "Wonder who this is?"

She only watched as the slender figure advanced. Soon, he came into the light. She was greeted by a set of the coldest blue eyes she'd ever seen and an even colder smile. The white-blond haired man stopped a few feet in front of her.

_It's him ..._ she thought. _Vash's brother._

She hadn't known what to expect, certainly not the person before her. So much like Vash, yet so very different. It was all in his eyes – not only their color but the intent behind them. His was so obvious. Murder.

"You know me."

She nodded once, unable to respond any other way.

Knives took two steps closer. "I know _you_," he said, voice hushed. His head tilted to one side. "Yet ... you're different." He closed the rest of the space between them. "My brother and the priest, they see you in separate ways. Vash ... he saw some of _her _in you ... "

Faye clenched her teeth together. It was all she could do to keep her cool. He was unsettling in ways she couldn't begin to describe. More than just her own fear, he seemed to instill it himself.

"You may imitate her somewhat on the outside ..." A hand lifted and extended towards her neck. He watched her as she refused to avert her eyes from his. The hand came to rest on her collarbone. "Not here, though. You're not like her at all."

She felt the urge to slap his hand away yet she couldn't. Something kept her from doing what she wanted.

"She would give her life for anyone." Knives' hand slid up to her neck. "You would not." His fingers wrapped around her throat. "Would you?"

She kept still. Her body wouldn't react to her commands.

"You have your effect on people; other human trash, and their silly emotions." His fingers gripped tighter but not enough to reduce her ability to breathe. He yanked her closer, so her face was mere inches from his own. "You, along with my brother, turned one of my servants against me."

Faye gasped loudly as scenes from Gunsmoke, in a town she was not familiar with, flooded into her mind. She saw him – Wolfwood – faced off with another man. She could only watch as he walked away, giving the man his reprieve, then ...

_Please ... don't show me this_, she begged, somehow knowing Knives could "hear" her.

Her body jerked as the shots were fired. Wolfwood's enemy was dead and he was mortally wounded. She trembled as she "watched" him stagger into the nearby church, lugging his cross and leaving a massive trail of blood behind him. Soon, he collapsed to his knees then lifted his head to gaze upon the cross hanging on the wall. Something was different in his eyes, he actually seemed at peace with himself.

A single tear streaked from the corner of Faye's left eye and down her cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut, but that didn't prevent her from witnessing the rest of the vision - where Wolfwood finally succumbed to his wound and died.

"_Faye_!" MacGruder leaped at Knives when he realized the man was choking her to death. She was oblivious, for some reason. His attempt to save her was quashed when Knives pushed him away. His back slammed hard against the wall, knocking the wind out of him. Stunned, unable to breathe himself, MacGruder watched as Faye was strangled before his eyes.

"Knives."

Knives looked over his shoulder when he heard Vicious say his name. He found his co-conspirator, along with Julia, behind him. Unlike her consort, Julia appeared to be alarmed by what Knives was doing.

"She has no value dead. Let her go."

Gritting his teeth at the audacity of this trash to order him around, Knives released Faye. The woman fell to the floor gagging and grasping at her throat with both hands. He smiled ruefully at Vicious.

"Of course. What was I thinking?" He narrowed his eyes as Vicious headed back towards the open doors. Once he'd finished with Vash's friends, he would take extreme pleasure in torturing their enemy. His gaze shifted to Faye still laying on the floor, coughing. He opened his hand and the cross she wore around her neck softly tinked as it hit the floor in front of her face.

Julia looked from Knives as he passed by her back to Faye. She'd never wanted it to come to this. But what choice did she have? If she refused, she knew she would be dead within the next moment. She stared at the cross, her mind straying back to her encounter with Spike.

_'The woman I loved died 12 years ago ...'_

The words resonated. The expression on his face, the tone of voice he used, his body language – everything about him was cold and distant.

"Julia ..."

She turned at the sound of Vicious' voice. He waited in the doorway for her to join him. After casting one last glanced at Faye, she quickly walked away. When she reached him, she bowed her head as she accompanied Vicious out of the room. She closed her eyes momentarily as the doors clanged shut behind them.

* * *

Spike shoved his hands into his pockets as he took a drag off of his cigarette. Through the exhaled cloud of smoke, he gazed upon Faye's Red-Tail. He often wondered where she'd acquired it. More than likely, she'd suckered some poor bastard out of it in a fixed card game.

He exhaled another cloud of smoke as he shook his head. Wherever that damn woman and MacGruder were, they were in some kind of trouble. After scouring the city and the outer lying areas all night, they'd come up with nothing. No one had seen them. No one had any leads.

He pulled one hand from his pocket and removed the cigarette from his mouth. His head bowed as he watched the ashes flutter to the floor. "You gonna stand there the rest of the day or what, Jet?"

The older man emerged from the shadows of the bay. "Last place I thought I'd find you."

"Same here." He took another drag as he continued to stare at the gray ashes on the floor. "We won't find them. Not until someone _wants_ them to be found."

Jet folded his arms across his chest. "And you have your suspicions of who that is?"

Spike dropped the rest of the cigarette and snuffed it out with his shoe. "Yes, I do." He looked to Jet. "Curious?"

"Vash's brother would be the obvious choice."

"That's true."

"But you think otherwise?"

He looked away. "Yes." He paused. "She isn't dead, Jet."

"Who isn't?"

"Julia."

Jet's arms dropped to his sides as he stared at Spike in disbelief. "What? How do you know that?"

"I saw her. Yesterday." His gaze shifted back to Faye's ship. "I spoke to her." He shook his head. "She's not the Julia I knew. Not anymore. She's changed."

"Fifteen years is a long time."

"It is."

"What does this have to do with Faye and MacGruder disappearing?"

He shoved both hands back into his pockets. "She's with him. She has been since that day they came to kill her." He looked at Jet again. "I'm not as angry about it as I thought I would be. What do you think that means?"

"Maybe it means you've moved on, Spike."

_'How do you deal with it?'_ he recalled asking Faye two years ago, when he thought he'd lost everything important in his life. _'I just move on, Spike.'_

After a short silence, Jet continued. "You think he's involved, don't you?"

"Why would she choose _now_ to come to me?"

"Then Faye mysteriously vanishes." Jet wasn't so sure but it _did_ seem credible. It wasn't the first time Vicious had used Faye to draw Spike to him. Though, that time, the circumstances between the two men were much different.

Spike turned on his heel and began to walk away. He froze when Jet spoke again.

"Does she matter to you, Spike?" Jet didn't turn, he didn't even look over his shoulder. Both men remained with their backs to one another as the silence between them continued. One that wasn't broken until ...

"AYE! Jet! Spike!" Ed bounded into the hanger. "Mr. Mean Bounty Man is back!"

Jet and Spike looked at each other. MacGruder.

"Is Faye with him?" Jet asked.

The girl frowned and shook her head. "No Faye-Faye." She saw the expression on Jet's face. "Says he knows where she is, though! Yep, yep!"

* * *

Faye leaned against the wall, her fingers weaved through her hair, her elbows propped on her knees as she stared at the floor in front of her. It'd been almost two hours since MacGruder had vanished. She wondered what happened to him. The last clear memory she had was of Knives choking the life out of her.

Her eyes closed as she recalled what he'd so cruelly subjected her to during it. She'd never wanted to see that – to watch him die, helpless to do anything about it. That was even more painful than knowing he was dead.

Suddenly, there was a flash of a woman's face in the midst of the event. Gasping, her eyes flew open and her hands slapped onto the floor beside her. Blinking and wide-eyed, she continued to breathe heavily.

_Who was that?_

Again, for a slightly longer duration, the smiling, kind face flashed in her mind's eye. As she tried to latch onto that image, another hit her. She recognized something in this one. A group of young girls. They'd been on the beta tape, yet this wasn't a scene from it. It was new. Like someone channel-surfing in her head, a series of new, some also familiar images, assaulted her.

Once they stopped, she pressed the heels of her hands to her forehead. "What is wrong with me?" she whispered. After she shut her eyes, the woman in the first vision returned. Sound accompanied this memory.

_'Remember that Mommy will always love you very much!'_

Then, a voice she recognized as her own as a child, replied, _'I'll always love you, too, Mommy!'_

Faye's eyes flew open again. Her heart pounded in her chest as she lowered her hands. She remembered that woman – it was her mother. She also had a faint stirring of the emotions related to her; a warm feeling, one she rarely experienced these days. Tears welled up in her eyes and brimmed without her knowing it. She could call up that image of her own volition, even if for a few seconds, and remember her mother.

"Are you all right?"

Faye startled when she heard a woman's voice softly speak. Her head whipped around to find the blonde – the mysterious Julia – standing a few feet away. Quickly, she wiped away her tears.

"Wonderful. How else would a hostage feel?" she muttered in reply.

Julia frowned as she cautiously approached. "I'm sorry about all of this," she apologized. "I didn't know they would involve you."

"And it's okay if they involve your ex?" Faye snapped back. She looked away, embarrassed by how venomous that had sounded. "I'm - "

"No. Don't apologize." She stopped next to Faye then knelt down. "I deserved it. I deserve much worse for what I did to him."

"Luring him into a trap was pretty damn low."

"Not that. That wasn't my idea." She raised her head, her gaze locked with Faye's. "Honestly, I'd hoped he wouldn't come."

"Really?" She didn't know whether she could trust anything coming out of this woman's mouth or not. She'd already "lied" about being dead and tried to use her relationship with Spike against him. "Scared of what he might have to say about you deserting him?"

Julia blinked, surprised that Faye even knew so much about them.

"You don't have any idea what he's gone through because of you. Ever since I've known him, he's been preoccupied with you. Even when he thought you were dead. He almost_ killed_ an innocent man because he believed he was partly responsible for your 'death'."

Julia sat back on her heels as she let Faye have her say. With each word, it became more apparent to her why the woman was so upset. She wondered if Spike knew?

"Then you appear out of nowhere with your sad letter, pleading for him to meet you, and he goes. No hesitation. You don't realize how fortunate you are," Faye finished.

"No," Julia softly said once it was apparent Faye was done. "I _do_ realize how fortunate I am." She stared at her hands clasped together in her lap. "Trouble is, I never knew ... until it was too late. Whatever Spike felt so many years ago, it's nothing but a memory for him now." Her lips pressed together. "I didn't apologize to him yesterday. Of all of the words I said, 'sorry' wasn't one of them. The one he most deserved to hear."

Faye didn't have a chance to reply. Both women looked up when the double doors opened. Quickly, Julia rose to her feet and backed away from Faye.

Vicious, accompanied by Knives, Lao and several of Lao's men, approached. The head of the Syndicate glanced from Faye on the floor to Julia standing diminutively by the wall. He could only imagine what they would have to say to one another.

"Julia ..." A hand raised and waited expectantly for her accept it.

Without a glance in Faye's direction, Julia joined Vicious, clasping his hand into one of hers. She smiled warmly on him.

"Come on," Lao snapped. He seized Faye by her right elbow and yanked her to her feet. "We have a service to attend. Somebody's funeral."

Knives, a sadistic smile on his face, stepped in front of her. She'd been crying. How weak of her. He thought she might've been different. Apparently not. She was as silly and useless as the rest.

"If only we had more time ..." He lifted a hand and allowed it to linger half an inch from her face. "There was so much I would've loved to have shown you ..." He laughed as her eyes narrowed on him. "Don't worry. All of your pain will end soon enough."

* * *

"Are you sure you're all right, Nate?" Linares tried to take a closer look at the nasty bruise above his left eye.

He moved away. "I told you fifteen times already, I'm fine." He looked up when Ed led Spike and Jet into the room. "Hey, fellas," he brightly greeted.

"Where the hell have _you_ been?" Jet demanded. "And where's Faye?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. I'm sure the bruises will heal soon enough," was MacGruder's sarcastic reply. He shook his head. "Like I was saying to them -" He jerked a thumb at Meryl and Vash. " - I know where Faye is."

"Well? _Where_ is she?"

"Some busted up old church on the other side of town." He looked to Spike. "Guy said _you'd_ know exactly which one it was."

"Guy?" Meryl raised her eyebrows. It wasn't Knives?

"He knows 'im." He waved a hand in Spike's direction. "No wonder you have half the Red Dragons lookin' for your ass. Don't envy you, pal."

"Then we go to this church and get her back," Meryl stated. She turned to look up at Spike. He only stood there with his hands in his pockets. "Right?"

"It's not that easy. There are conditions."

"What conditions?" asked Linares.

"Only _you_ -" He pointed to Spike. "And _you_." He shifted the finger to Vash.

"Why me?"

"Because that brother of yours is with him."

"_What_?" Meryl exclaimed.

"What do you mean, he's with him?" Vash asked at the same time.

"Somehow, they've buddied up." He shrugged. "They're using Faye as bait for a trap. You're walking into an ambush."

Vash stood. "It doesn't matter. If that's where Knives is, then that's where I'll go."

"You aren't going alone." Meryl put her hands on her hips.

"You can't - "

Spike held up a hand, cutting Linares off. "Vicious will expect it, anyway. If you follow, it won't matter." He looked to Vash. "You know you could die during this, don't you?"

"If that's what I have to do to help Faye and my brother."

Meryl bit her lower lip. She wanted to ask him – no, _beg_ him – not to go. It would be pointless. He'd made his decision. The only thing she could do now was try to keep him alive.

Spike patted Vash's shoulder. "Nice to hear you say that, because we probably are." He glanced at Jet, who half-glared at him. He ruefully smiled then left the room.

"At least someone's an optimist," MacGruder said.

* * *

End Chapter Eleven

Song Title Used: "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" - Pandora's Box

* * *


	12. The Twilight Showdown

Chapter Twelve: "The Twilight Showdown"

Ed sat in front of her computer, chin resting in one palm, while she mindlessly clicked the keyboard with the other hand. Ein was positioned beside her on the floor, looking from the screen to the distant girl staring at the monitor. It'd been twenty minutes since the adults, save for Linares, left for the church to help Faye. Ed knew she never had a chance of going along. This was the most dangerous mess the world had ever been in. Still, she couldn't stop worrying about her friends.

Rem stopped it the doorway which led into the main living area of the ship. She saw the red-headed girl – Ed – and the dog, Ein, on the floor together. She wasn't entirely certain what the heck was going on, only that it was major. The blond man, Vash, told her that she would be safe on the ship with Linares. Unlike Ed, Rem had no interest in leaving. She was content to do as the adults instructed; her mother had taught her as much.

Ein barked.

Ed lifted her head and noticed the dog wagging his tail at something behind her. She turned at the waist and that's when she saw Rem in the room.

"Hi," Rem quietly greeted.

Ed's mouth quirked. Even though Vash assured her that he cared about her, she couldn't help but feel cold towards Rem Saverem. She knew she shouldn't, still, she didn't appreciate someone else, a complete stranger, taking him away from her.

Rem smiled as she crouched down when Ein trotted over to her. "Hey, boy," she sweetly cooed. She stroked his head. "You have a very nice dog." She glanced at Ed. "Have you had him a long time? My mom and dad won't let Kevin, he's my little brother, and me have any pets."

Ed simply turned around and went back to surfing the Net.

Rem joined Ed by her computer. "You haven't said anything to me since I woke up an hour ago." She watched Ed continue to ignore her, in favor of playing with her computer. "Okay. Since you won't talk ... I will."

Ed side-glanced as Rem made herself comfortable on the floor. Once she did, Ein plopped down beside the dark-haired girl.

"It must be fun to fly on a spaceship," Rem said as went back to petting Ein. "We don't go to a lot of places. We live in the outer reaches of the solar system. It's safer there, or so my dad says." She sighed. "Mom and I came to meet him and Kevin. Kevin needed surgery - he's all right - but my mom wanted to be here earlier. It's really not a good idea for all of us to travel together."

Ed glanced at Rem but didn't say anything.

"Dad's scared of the Red Dragons. I hate it. Him being scared all of the time, I mean. Just because he didn't want to hurt people anymore." She stopped stroking Ein's back. "That man, Mr. Spiegel, he might not say so, but he's scared, too. Maybe not for the same reasons as my dad, he is."

Ed looked down. She hadn't considered that. Though she'd been around Spike for three years, she'd never come to know him well. Not in the same respect as Jet or Faye. The idea that he would be afraid of anything, it didn't seem possible to her.

"I don't want anyone to be afraid anymore. People hurt each other and it keeps going on, even after they stop. It never goes away." Her eyes brimmed with tears. "My mother's dead ... isn't she?"

For the first time, Ed felt something other than jealousy towards Rem. Pity. The girl was like her, until she'd joined up with the **Bebop**'s crew. She was alone.

Tears streamed down Rem's cheeks. "Mr. MacGruder didn't want to tell me the truth, but I know she is. I ... remember what happened." She sniffled. "The flash, the rumbling ... then the buildings falling down around us. She pulled me to the ground ... and now she's dead."

Ed moved in front of Rem and placed a hand on one of her shoulders. "When your mom did that, she wasn't scared anymore."

Rem stared at her. "What?"

"Somebody who was scared wouldn't do that. Vashy, he does it all the time. He won't let anybody get hurt. If your dad is out there, he'll find him for you. And he won't leave you until he knows you're safe. You shouldn't be afraid when he's around." She gave the girl a hug.

Hesitantly, Rem returned the hug. She felt eased by Ed's words. She didn't quite understand why a stranger would care so much, but this Vash did. It made her wonder who, or what, turned him into that kind of a person ...

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

The ground was wet. The sky overcast with gray clouds. The air thick with something – it wasn't heat, it wasn't humidity. If it could be classified, one would have to call it "evil". The church hadn't changed much in the last decade. The outside was a bit more worse for the wear and the scars from Spike's last visit were still visible.

He recalled falling from the window and everything that went through his mind on his way to the ground. Julia. Vicious. His life as a gangster. All of it was so long ago. Like ancient history. He glanced at Vash next to him, wondering what was going through his head right then.

Vash stared up at the church. He had bad memories of his own associated with the house of God. Wolfwood, knelt in a pool of his own blood, his cross propped against his body, each keeping the other from lying on the floor. He remembered Milly's anguished wails. Her cries chilled him to this day. Why couldn't he have saved him? He didn't deserve to die like that. No one did.

"You should stop blaming yourself for him," Spike quietly commented. He pulled his cigarettes from his jacket pocket and looked inside of the pack. Two left. He removed one and lit it. As he tucked the pack into his jacket, he looked to the blond. "In case no one told you, human beings are responsible for their own actions. He knew the risk of what he did."

"A risk he never would've taken, if not for me."

Spike exhaled smoke. "Isn't that what you wanted from him? To find an alternative to pulling the trigger?"

"Yes, but - "

"The choices we make dictate the life we lead. You should know that better than anyone, Vash." He took one long drag from the cigarette then dropped the rest to the ground. He looked back to the church. "It's also better to die doing the right thing than to live and continue doing the wrong one." He smiled a little. "I should've thanked her for showing me that."

Vash stared at him. Had Spike changed so much since he last saw him? Not only since then, but in the course of a day? What had happened to him in that time?

He patted Vash's shoulder. "Let's get Faye. And your brother."

"And the man from your past?"

"I know what I'm going to do. The choice is his." Spike shoved his hands back into his pockets and headed into the church.

* * *

Inside the church, the place was in much worse condition. Bullet holes peppered the walls and scorch marks from explosives painted others. Weak rays of light streamed through the broken stained glass windows and the bits of the ceiling that had rotted away. The only things still standing were several pews and the large cross on the front wall.

"You were told to come unarmed."

Spike glanced to his left. Lao Chan. He scoffed. That guy was nothing but a kid when he'd left the Red Dragons, now he was one of Vicious' most trusted lieutenants.

"We're not armed. You and your boys can frisk us. I know how much you'd _enjoy_ that." He smirked.

Lao snapped his fingers and two of the six men he'd brought along stepped forward. "Make sure he's not lying."

Spike raised his hands and kept an eye on the one who searched him. "How does it feel to take orders from a prick like him, kid?"

"Shut up," the man grumbled. Once he finished, he gave Lao an all clear nod then stepped back.

"What's this?" The man who'd patted down Vash kicked Wolfwood's cross with his foot. "You hiding something in that?"

"What's so dangerous about a cross?" Spike asked as he jerked a thumb at it. "Unless you think we plan to nail you to it."

The man narrowed his eyes then pried the cross from Vash's grip. "Very funny, Spiegel. Gimme that thing." Once he had it, he used all of his strength to haul it to the front of the church.

"That everything?" Lao asked.

"Yes."

"Oh, come now, brother. You're in a church, don't lie." Knives' voice said from somewhere near the front of the building. "You and I know how dangerous you_ really_ are." He emerged from the shadows and stopped underneath the cross hanging on the wall. "We're the same, which you so conveniently seem to forget."

Spike leaned towards Vash. "I see the resemblance," he murmured.

"Where is Faye?" Vash calmly asked, ignoring Spike.

Knives shook his head. "Why am I surprised? _They_ were always your primary concern, more than your own flesh and blood."

"You have me, you don't need her."

Lao came up behind Spike and pressed the barrel of his gun into the middle of his back. "You should've listened to Julia. She might've been able to persuade Lord Vicious to spare your life." He smiled. "She has ... _influence_ over him these days, you know. Get up there." He waved the gun at Vash. "You, too."

Knives locked his hands together behind his back and smile on Vash as he neared. "I know you too well, brother. Your strengths, and there aren't many of them, and then there are your weaknesses ..." He chuckled. "I'd planned to use him against you." He nodded to Spike. "But the woman so eagerly offered herself in his place."

A moment later, Vicious stepped from the same shadows as Knives ... with the blade of his sword pressed to Faye's throat.

"Faye ..." Vash took one step, but froze when Vicious cut into her flesh, causing a thin line of blood to appear.

"Some of them have their uses, brother," Knives continued. "Midvalley ... Dominique ... Wolfwood." He smiled, more maliciously when he saw Vash hands tighten into fists at the mention of the priest's name. "I saw potential that they did not have in this one. We want similar things." _Mostly._ "We want our treacherous brothers back."

Vicious removed the blade from Faye's throat and shoved the woman forward. She stumbled down the steps and almost fell to the floor, but someone caught her. When she looked up to see which of them had spared her the pain, she was surprised to find Spike.

"Are you all right?"

She only gazed up at him. He'd never seemed to care about her welfare any other time he'd bailed her out of a bad situation. When she was able to move, she simply nodded.

"The others are waiting."

Once she was steady on her own two feet, she gave one last look to Spike then ambled up the aisle as lingeringly as possible. When she reached the back of the church, one of Lao's men shoved her outside and slammed the massive door closed behind her.

She bowed her head and sighed softly. _Why didn't I stay? I just ... left them there. Am I really so horrible?_

"Faye!"

Her head lifted and she glanced around when she heard Jet loudly whisper her name. Near one of the buildings across the street, she saw him, along with Meryl, waving her over. Casually, she headed in their direction.

"Are you okay?" Meryl asked as soon as Faye joined them. She noticed the cut and half-dried blood on the other woman's neck. Did Knives do that?

"Yes."

Jet placed a hand on her jaw then turned her head so he could get a better look at the cut. "Are you sure you're all right?"

She shoved his hand away. "I told you, I'm fine." She looked over her shoulder to the church. "Those two morons are the ones who're in trouble."

"Well, now that you're all clear, that's what we plan to do. Help them," Meryl said.

Jet turned over Faye's extra firearms. "Don't worry. No one is going to die today."

* * *

The door to the rectory opened without even a hint of a creak. After making sure the immediate area was clear, MacGruder slipped into the room. As he did, he carefully closed the door behind him. He wished Linares was with him. They worked better as a team, they always had.

But no. Someone had to stay on the **Bebop** and baby-sit the kids. Why it couldn't have been the short woman, he didn't know. Linares was a trained soldier, a proven fighter. He never dared to argue against it; Meryl was hellbent on going with her boyfriend, or whatever he was to her.

As he moved towards the corridor on the left hand side of the room, he saw one of Lao's men hanging out on the other end of it. Just the one. With his back to him. This would be easy. Holstering his gun, MacGruder crept down the corridor with precise stealth and purpose.

When he was close enough, he threw one arm around the thug's neck while clapping his free hand over his mouth. After almost a minute, the young man dropped his own gun and his body went limp in MacGruder's arms. Carefully, he laid the man down and used a pair of cuffs to bind his arms behind his back. Once he was finished, he picked up the thug's weapon and shoved it into the waist of his pants.

_All right, Black. The back is secured. You and that short gal better have your shit together up front. _

_

* * *

_Gingerly, Jet pushed the front door of the church open. Once it was wide enough for a body to slip through, he motioned for Meryl and Faye to move. After checking the outside one last time, Jet followed behind them. He joined Faye on the left side of the foyer and Meryl positioned herself on the right.

"What's happening?" he asked as softly as possible.

"They're still talking," Faye whispered.

Meryl clutched one of her Derringers tightly in her hands as she watched the events unfolding at the front of the church. Jet had promised that no one would die today. She wanted to believe him, but against someone like Knives, what could they do?

* * *

End Chapter Twelve.

Song Title Used: "The Twilight Showdown" - Starlight Mints

* * *


	13. Goodnight Stars, Goodnight Moon

Chapter Thirteen: "Goodnight Stars, Goodnight Moon"

Knives extended a hand to Vash. "I've released her." He gestured with his fingers for Vash to come towards him. "This isn't like our last meeting, I mean you no harm. I never did."

Vash glanced at Spike. This was what he'd come to do – the reason he'd forced them to agree not to kill Knives. He had to change his mind. "I can't," he quietly replied. "I can't do that, not until you promise me something."

Knives' hand dropped to his side. "What?"

"That you'll leave the people here alone. All of them. You'll allow the future to happen, the way it should."

Knives' eyes narrowed. "Deny my purpose in life?"

"Yes. If not out of compassion for them, then out of desire for self-preservation." He saw the curious expression on Knives' face. "If you end all human life here and now, we'll never exist. You don't know how much you've altered already. The Earth city, that spaceport ... do you understand?"

"You think I care about_ their_ future?" He pointed to Spike.

"Your own. If we never exist, then who knows what will happen to us now?"

Knives descended the steps and stopped within a few feet of Vash. "You believe the greater being is afraid to give his own life to destroy the spider?"

"That's selflessness, Knives." Vash paused. "You said I had many weaknesses, that would be one of them. Selflessness requires feelings that, for some reason, you've chosen to ignore."

In the wings, Julia stepped closer to the light. She placed a hand on the wall and peered around the corner, careful to remain out of view. Her eyes flicked from Spike to the man in the red coat. He was so very opposite of Knives – even the tone in which he spoke.

"Compassion, mercy ... love," Vash continued as he never let his eyes leave his brother's. "Those are all things she taught us."

"She turned you against me."

"I was never against you. Why do you think I spent a century searching for you?" He was inches away from Knives. "I want to save you from yourself. There's still time ..."

Knives' jaw clenched. He couldn't understand why Vash persisted in believing that _he_ was the one in the wrong. Perhaps it was time to destroy everything he cared about ... in _this_ time period. Maybe then he'd be more open to his side. Either way, it would make his brother miserable. A fitting retribution. He seized Vash by the coat and used all of his strength to throw him to the floor behind him.

Julia gasped lightly when the other man slid to a stop a few feet from where she stood.

"Do whatever you like with that one. The rest of them, however, are mine," Knives muttered darkly as he walked by Vicious.

Lao grinned as Vicious approached, his sword still in hand. "He's waited a long time for this," he murmured then backed away.

Faye moved forward but Jet grabbed her shoulder.

"No."

"He's going to kill him if we don't do something," she hissed.

"It's his life, Faye. Not yours."

Meryl swallowed hard as she looked from Faye to the scene inside of the church. _Vash won't let it happen. He'd never allow someone to die. He just couldn't._

Spike kept his hands in his pockets, his expression never changed as Vicious stepped in front of him. _'Some people don't want to be saved ... '_ That was what Vash didn't understand about Wolfwood, or him, for that matter. _This_ was salvation for them.

"No tricks? No hidden grenades up your sleeve?" Vicious gripped the handle of his sword. "Such tactics are unlike you."

"Well, I've changed. Which is more than I can say for you." Spike glanced at Vash. The man remained on the floor, watching with an apprehensive expression on his face. "Why not do what you've come to do? I'm a busy guy."

As Vicious raised his sword, Julia rushed from the shadows. "_Stop_!" she exclaimed, holding up a hand. "Please! Stop!"

Vicious turned slightly and Spike looked up, surprised to see her coming towards them.

Julia placed herself between Vicious and Spike, facing the former. "You don't have to do this. He's no longer a threat to you. To us."

"Step aside," Vicious coldly ordered.

She firmly shook her head. "No." She came closer to him, a look in her eyes that Vicious had never seen before, even when she'd begged him to spare her. "Just ... let him go. You have everything, he won't upset that."

"I have no leniency for betrayal."

"Unless it's me?" she quickly asked before he could push her out of his way. She held back tears – tears for whom, she wasn't certain. Herself? Spike? Everything that had gone wrong? She pressed her body against his and rested her head on his chest as her eyes closed. "If you can forgive mine, why not his?"

Vicious' free hand gently caressed her hair as he looked down on the top of her head. "There is one flaw in your argument ... Julia," he murmured.

"What?"

"I never forgave you."

Her eyes flew open and she gasped loudly when she felt the cold metal drive through her gut. She couldn't move. Vicious held tight to the back of her head. Her fingers gripped his coat as the sword twisted to one side, tearing the wound so it wouldn't close. Then she was free. Stumbling backwards, Julia watched as Vicious' sword slid out of her body. Still unable to process what happened, she touched her fingers to her stomach then looked down on her hands. They were stained red with blood. Her blood.

Spike caught her in his arms before she fell to the floor. Gently, he cradled her as he dropped to his knees. He looked from the wound, continuing to redden her white shirt, to her face, which grew paler with each passing moment.

As Spike crouched on the floor with the dying woman, Vicious simply stared at them. He felt nothing for what he'd done. He only regretted not having done it sooner. Once Spike witnessed Julia die in his arms, he would end it. Forever.

"Julia ..."

She lifted a bloodied hand to shush him. With a finger, she beckoned him to lean closer. Once he did, she used all of her strength to lift her head and whisper, "I'm ... sorry ..." She gazed into his eyes as he sat back a little. "F-Forgive ... me?"

With a slight nod, the best he could do, he offered his absolution.

A weak smile appeared on her face. The blood-stained hand touched his left cheek and she added one last thing. "Live. Be ... ha ... ppy ..." Her eyes began to slowly closer, her hand dropped onto her stomach and one final rasp of air escaped her lips.

"Julia." Spike pulled her lifeless body close and bowed his head. _I should've apologized to** you**, too._

Vicious lifted his sword and prepared to finish what he'd started. A single shot rang out and the metal of his sword clanked as it bent near the middle.

Spike sat up and realized what was about to happen to him. He shifted his gaze over to Vash, expecting to find the blond with his gun in hand. That wasn't the case. Vash only stared, a look of pure empathy on his face.

Another shot fired and one of Lao's men cried out as he grabbed his shoulder. The next bullet dropped him to his knees.

All of them looked to the back of the church where Faye stood, her gun raised and ready to fire again, if need be. "Spike! _GET UP_!" she ordered. "You are not going to die today! I won't let you!"

The rest of Lao's men reacted to Faye's appearance. She ducked down when several shots were fired in her general direction. Two of the men dropped as Jet entered the church itself. He pivoted and aimed for Lao, who was still in the main aisle.

Lao dove behind one of the pews and cursed under his breath. How did they get inside the church? Why didn't those idiots do what he'd told them?

A blast from MacGruder's shotgun startled Meryl. She gasped and backpedaled as the man who'd been advancing on her fell face down onto the floor – dead. She looked from the body to the other bounty hunter, then to the single Derringer in her hand. What was she doing? She wasn't cut out for this kind of showdown.

Lao peered around the corner and saw the short woman with her back to him. Another gun blast, followed by a scream, let him know the last of his men had gone down.

"Fuck," he swore. He needed leverage. Something to balance out an already screwed situation.

"What happened to the other guy?" Jet called out as he moved towards Vash and Knives. He didn't look Vash in the eye. He couldn't. Knives, however, remained as cool and calm as ever. He didn't appear to care about what was happening around him.

"I don't know!" Faye kept her weapon at the ready as she moved towards Spike. She glanced down at him, then to Julia's body. She swallowed, remembering the last conversation she'd shared with the blonde woman.

"Why are you here?" Spike asked.

"I'm saving your life, stupid," she snapped. "Which way did that asshole go?"

"You wouldn't mean me ... would you?" Lao's voice echoed. He grinned when the would-be rescuers turned. He pressed the barrel of his gun to Meryl's temple and made sure she was positioned in a way that left no opening for a bullet to hit him.

"Meryl ..." Vash managed three steps before he stopped.

Meryl closed her eyes briefly. When she opened them again, she met Vash's gaze. _I'm sorry_, she thought. _I've put you in this position again._

"Why don't we lay our weapons down, hmm?" Lao suggested, grinning. "Or else I'll redecorate this wall with her brain matter."

Slowly, Meryl's right hand slipped underneath her cape. The fingers of her right hand found the handle of one of her Derringers hidden within it. If Vash was going to save everyone else, she had to remove herself from the equation.

"Throw down your weapons, and she's dead anyway," Spike quietly said. He looked to Vash. "The only way for her to live ... is for him to die."

"Vash ..." Jet side-glanced at the blond, who made a move for his own gun. "You don't have to do this. There's another way."

Lao eyed Vash as the man brought out a silver-plated gun. "Does he honestly think he can hit me from there?" he murmured in Meryl's ear.

Meryl's finger curled around the trigger of her Derringer. "He won't have to," she replied.

She fired.

Her eyes opened. She was alive. The others stared at her, mostly in shock. It took her more than a moment to realize that they weren't staring at her, but something behind her. She looked over her shoulder, then suddenly fully turned around.

Lao leaned against the wall, his left hand clutching the wound in his lower left side. The gun dropped from his right hand and he lifted his stunned gaze to the woman. "You ... _killed_ ... me," he hoarsely whispered.

Meryl carefully backed away as she shook her head._ It had to be done. I couldn't let him do it again. I just couldn't._ Her own gun clattered to the floor. _I'm sorry, Vash._

Slowly, Lao slipped down the wall. Soon, he was slumped over, his eyes closed and then no further movement came from him.

Vicious shifted his attention from his dead lieutenant to Spike still on his knees before him. "That leaves only you and me," he said. He removed his hand from under his own coat and brandished a gun.

Spike looked from the barrel to the expressionless face of the man he'd once considered a brother. "A gun? That's so unlike you."

"Times change." He pulled back the hammer.

Spike made no effort to escape. He simply waited for death to come.

Vicious was about to fire when Vash stepped between him and his target. His index finger backed off of the trigger as he stared at Vash in front of him.

"This is over," Vash stated in a low, even tone. "Enough people have died today."

"Vash -"

Jet grabbed Meryl's arm before she could put herself in harm's way. "Don't."

"Let_ go_!" She tried to pull away but Jet had used his bionic hand, so she was stuck.

"I have no interest in killing you," Vicious blankly said.

Vash let his gun drop to his feet. "Why do you hate him so much?" His eyes narrowed slightly as he searched for something in Vicious' eyes that would indicate that any humanity was left in him. "What did he do to you?"

"Betrayal in unforgivable." Vicious looked down on Julia's body. "They can finally be together ... just not in this world."

"I won't let you kill him."

Vicious shifted his gaze back to Vash. "Then you leave me no choice."

Knives saw Vicious' trigger finger move. The gun, however, wasn't aimed at Spike, it was pointed at Vash's gut. Without so much as a word, Knives drew his own weapon and fired a single shot. In what seemed like slow motion, the right side of Vicious' head exploded. Blood spattered against Vash's coat, his face and the wall behind Vicious. For the first time, the gangster's face registered some kind of an emotion – surprise. Even after his body collapsed to the floor, with dark red blood continuing to gush from the wound, the expression remained, forever etched in stone.

Vash shifted his attention from Vicious' body to Knives. His brother lowered his gun to his side and stared back at him blankly. It was as though he'd done absolutely nothing wrong.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ," MacGruder breathed as he took a few steps away from the blood pooling at his feet. The shot was perfect. Too perfect. With the amount of time between Knives drawing and the shot being fired ... MacGruder'd never encountered a marksman with that level of accuracy.

Faye lowered her own gun, confused. _Why did Knives kill him? Weren't they working together? What would make him do such a thing?_ She shook her head. It was then she noticed movement on the other side of the church.

Vash turned when Spike rose to his feet. The bounty hunter was drenched in Julia's blood. "I ... " he began.

"Vash, you can stop taking responsibility for everyone else." He nodded in Knives' direction. "You've taken on more than enough with him."

"Vash!" Meryl threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. She wanted to apologize for what she'd done, for what she'd been forced to do. If there was another way, she would've taken it. Instead, she chose only to hold onto him tightly. When she felt one of his hands gently rest on the top of her head, she relaxed a little. He understood.

Lao pulled himself to his feet, clinging to one of the pews to keep standing. He'd lost a lot of blood but he had to know what happened to Vicious and Spike. His eyes widened briefly when he saw Vicious' head blown apart, his body lying on its side on the floor. Judging by the exit wound, only one person in that church could've killed him.

Faye was the only one who saw Lao raise his gun and take aim on somebody. It wasn't Spike. And it wasn't Vash, either.

"_Look out_!" she yelled, sprinting towards Lao's target.

"What -" MacGruder saw Valentine rushing for Vash's brother. He couldn't figure out what the hell was going on, until he heard the gunshot.

Faye never felt the bullet hit her. In fact, she didn't realize she'd been struck until she saw the blood spattered across the pristine white suit Knives wore. She fell into him, her hands grabbing onto his upper arms. She swallowed hard. _What did I just do? _The pain began to register. She'd been shot in the upper back. Fortunately, the bullet had exited and missed Knives all together.

"Faye ..." Jet stared as the woman clung to Vash's brother.

She tilted her head back and looked into Knives' eyes. He seemed ... puzzled by it. She half-smiled. This was going to be the end, huh? Well, it could've been worse, she supposed. She could've never woken up at all.

His mind flashed back to the day he and Vash were separated from Rem Saverem. The door slid shut, the woman smiled at them in the same way, despite the agonized wailing of his brother and knowledge of what was to come. He watched the woman crumple into a ball at his feet. He stared at her body then touched his fingers to the blood on his own. He shifted his gaze from his bloodied fingers back to the barely conscious Faye.

_Why would you do something so stupid? Why would you do that ... for **me**?_

Selflessness. Compassion. Love. That's what Vash had called it. Why did humans let emotions incite self-destructive acts? Why would Faye, of all people, show such weakness over someone who'd essentially tortured her?

"Faye." Jet carefully rolled her onto her back, applying pressure to the exit wound. "Hold on."

Spike shifted his gaze from Jet and Meryl knelt beside Faye to Julia's body, then to Vicious'. He had wanted nothing more than to kill that man. And ... it just went away. He snapped out of his daze when he heard a clatter behind him. Lao, barely alive, attempted to reload his gun. He was on death's door but continued to fight. And for whom?

"Spike."

He blinked when Vash appeared in his line of sight.

Vash grabbed the bounty hunter's wrist when Spike tried to raise his gun. "No."

"He's already dead. Consider it a mercy kill." Spike wrestled to free his arm but Vash only calmly yanked his gun out of Spike's hand.

He nodded in Faye's direction. "We have more important things to worry about."

Spike looked over his shoulder. MacGruder desperately tried to help Jet stabilize the wounded woman.

"To hell with this. I'm going to get help." MacGruder threw down his weapons and sprinted towards the main entrance to the church.

"We can't save everyone ... we can save her," he finished.

"Faye, can you hear me?" Jet brushed the hair out of her face. She grew paler. If they didn't get her to the nearby hospital soon, she was dead.

Her eyes opened. When she focused, though, she didn't see Jet or Meryl, or even the church in which she lay. She saw her twelve-year old self. The young girl looked down upon her with a sadness in her eyes that Faye recognized – alone, lost, afraid.

"Don't die," the little girl begged. "_Please_! We've only just found one another again!"

Faye's eyes slid shut once more. The sound of her twelve year old voice faded, along with the image of her younger self. The blackness closed in on her. Her mind slipped out of consciousness.

"Mommy loves you!" she heard her mother's voice happily declare.

_I loved you, too ..._

_

* * *

_

End Chapter Thirteen

Song Title Used: "Goodnight Stars, Goodnight Moon" - Tabitha's Secret

* * *


	14. I Shall Believe

Chapter Fourteen:  
"I Shall Believe"

"Sir, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to put that out."

"Like it's going to bother her. She smokes more than _I _do."

"It's hospital policy, sir. You'll have to put it out or leave the building."

"What if I open the window?"

"Spike, just put it out."

The voices guided Faye back into consciousness. Spike. Jet. Some woman she didn't know. Her eyes struggled to open.

"She's waking up," the female voice said. "I'll get the doctor."

"Yeah, you go do that," Spike replied.

The brightness of the room caused Faye to squint when she was fully awake. Her eyes focused on the figure to her left – Jet. She then looked to her right and found Spike there, cigarette still clutched between his middle and forefingers. A small smile crossed her lips. "Not ... dead ..." she weakly whispered. She blinked a few times as she grew more conscious of her surroundings. The two men were the only ones in the room with her. No sign of Ed. Or even Vash or Meryl. "What happened?"

"You took a bullet for Vash's brother, that's what happened," Jet answered. He glanced at Spike. "Almost died because of it, too."

Her hand lifted. The IV needle was taped to it. She winced a bit as she shifted in bed, trying to move into a sitting position. "How long have I been in this place?" she grumbled.

"A week," Spike said.

"And everyone else?"

"Back at the ship."

"Oh?" She frowned, a bit letdown that they hadn't come.

"It's nothing personal," Jet put in, noticing Faye's reaction. "Vash couldn't come if he wanted to. And he _did _want to. The bounty is still out on him. Well, his brother, but you know ... " He looked to Spike then cleared his throat. "Um ... I'll just see what's keeping the doctor ..."

Faye watched Jet leave the room then focused her attention on Spike. "Vash's brother ... is he ...?"

"He's on the ship. He hasn't said much since the church, though." Spike pulled up the nearby chair and sat down. He took a drag from his cigarette. "I think your stupidity stunned him."

"My what?"

He shook his head. "Why in the hell did you do that? You had your gun in your hand. You could've taken Lao down easily."

She looked away. "I'm ... I'm not sure. It just happened." She sighed. Memories of that day began to surface in her mind. The expression on Knives' face was the most clear, however. The shock, the confusion, the whatever it was. "What happened after -"

"We don't have to worry about them anymore," Spike cut in. He tapped his ashes in the empty water glass next to her bed. "The Red Dragons have been in disarray since Vicious' body, along with half a dozen of his guys', was discovered. No one's mourning them. Especially not the police." He paused. "The Syndicate's done, I think."

She absently nodded. "You're free, then?"

Spike took another drag then slowly exhaled the smoke. "In a way, yeah."

"Well ... that's good." She felt awkward. It probably wasn't the right thing to say, but it was all she could think of at the moment.

"Look, Faye ..." He stopped when she shifted her gaze to him. He sighed as he shook his head a little. "Never mind."

Pushing herself into more of a sitting position despite the pain, she quickly said, "No, what were you going to say?"

He glanced up at her but continued to stare at the smoldering cigarette between his fingers. "If you hadn't show up when you did ... well ... I guess I should ... " He rarely said the words to anyone, least of all to Faye Valentine. "Thank you."

She blinked. She must be in a dream. Or dead. Did Spike just thank her for saving his life? Her surprise turned to something more casual when he looked at her. "So .. you're not mad about it?"

"No." He finished off the cigarette and tossed the butt into the glass. "Whatever happens now, it's for a different person." One hand brushed over his right eye. "I don't see the present and the past at the same time any longer. That ... life is over."

Her head tilted to one side, puzzled by his comment. She understood what it mean on the surface, but something else was intended on a deeper level.

"I should leave. I don't want to be here when that nurse comes back." He rose to his feet. He looked down when Faye grabbed his wrist. "What?" he asked, flicking his gaze up to her.

"I ... " She paused. The rest of what she wanted to say to him became caught in her throat. 'love you'. She only stared at him for a few moments before giving him a slight smirk. "I guess this means you won't be the same jackass, huh?"

"No." He leaned over, his face two inches from hers as he smiled a little. "I'll be a much _better_ one," he finished.

An eyebrow cocked. "I wouldn't expect anything less," she smoothly replied.

When Faye let go of his wrist, Spike left her room. As he exited, he was surprised to find Jet standing outside of the doorway. The older man leaned against the wall, with his arms folded across his chest and a strange grin on his face.

"What?"

Jet only chuckled.

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, to hell with you," he angrily snapped. "What're you doing eavesdropping on us, anyway?"

He shook his head, still chuckling lightly. "Let's go, before that nurse comes back." He clapped a hand on Spike's shoulder a few times then started down the corridor.

After shaking his head, Spike gave one last look to Faye in her bed. He found her sitting fully upright, holding a piece of glittering jewelry in front of her with a smile on her face that he'd never seen from her before.

_What's that about?_ he wondered.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked quickly to catch up to Jet.

In the room, Faye unfastened the clasp of the necklace Wolfwood had given her. Careful not to jostle the IV loose from her left hand, she latched it around her neck. Her free hand brushed over it then she looked out of the window. The blinds were open and she could see across the city for miles.

_Thank you ..._ she thought with a smile.

* * *

"How is he?"

The sound of Meryl's voice brought Vash out of his thoughts. He looked to his left to see the woman standing beside him. He shrugged then turned his attention back to Knives. His brother sat in the main living area of the **Bebop**, where he'd been for the better part of an hour. This was the first time in a week Knives ventured out of the room in which he'd been confined.

"I'm not sure. He hasn't said anything to me." Giving one last glance at his brother, he moved away from the doorway, down the corridor so they could talk without being heard. "I don't know what to think."

"Do you believe he'll continue to hurt people?"

He shrugged again. "I wish I could tell you. I've never seen him like this before."

Meryl bowed her head. "I've been meaning to say something, Vash," she murmured. "About that day in the church ... "

"The man you shot."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "The man I _killed_." She swallowed. "I'll ... I'll understand if you ... "

"If I'll what?" he asked when she didn't continue.

She blinked back the tears. She didn't want to cry, not in front of him. But what she wanted and what happened were two different things. "If you don't ... "_ What do I say? 'If you don't want to be around me anymore, I'll understand?'_

"Meryl ..."

She lifted her head, a few tears rolling down her cheeks as she gazed up at him. He didn't seem angry, or even sad. He just had that expression on his face, the one she never knew how to decipher. What would he say? Could he forgive her for killing that man? Could she even forgive herself?

"I'll help you through it," he quietly finished.

For a moment, she was stunned. Then she lost any control she had over her emotions. Relieved wasn't a strong enough description for how she felt after hearing him say that. She hugged him, pressing her face into his chest before he could witness her final breakdown. Despite the tears, she was comforted. That's what he did for her. Until she'd met him, she'd never felt this way. Sure, she would have troubles, but they just weren't as bothersome when she was with him. She needed that now more than ever.

Vash returned her embrace. Why she would ever think he would turn away from her because of that, he'd never know. Did _she_ do it after what happened with Legato? No. _She'd_ been the one to pull him back to where he had to be. The very least he could do in return was the same.

* * *

In the main living area, Knives continued to sit on the sofa and stare at Wolfwood's cross. Vash had brought it with him both times – on Gunsmoke and to the battered church on Mars. He'd thought his brother did so because Vash wanted to destroy him. The priest who once carried it had changed, though. It wasn't about destruction; it was about salvation.

He'd thought about a lot in the past week. Mostly about the woman, Faye. She didn't have any reason to take that bullet for him, but she did. She knew what he was, what he'd done, and even though it wouldn't have been fatal to him, he avoided injury because of her. Why?

Rem Saverem, she'd given up her life to save as many humans as possible. He'd never considered it a brave act, more a confirmation that the race was weak and useless. That day in the church, he'd meant what he said about giving up his own life for the future. He didn't even think about it, nothing else mattered. Did that make him ... like _her_?

"Hey, mister."

Knives lifted his gaze from the floor. The little girl from the spaceport stood in front of him.

"Are you okay?"

He only stared at her.

Rem sat on the sofa. "You look kinda sad, that's why I'm asking."

"Do you know who I am?"

"Yes. You're Vash's brother. I have a brother. He's younger and bugs me all of the time."

"If you know who I am, why do you ... care?"

"I don't know." She looked down at her hands clasped together in her lap. "My mom died because of what you did to that spaceport. Died saving me."

"You should hate me."

"Well ... I don't." She looked over to him. "Do you _want_ me to?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

"My mom told me that it wasn't right to hate other people. You only hurt yourself when you do." She frowned. "Besides ... it won't bring her back."

Knives stared at the girl. This was as confusing as what happened with Faye. Why didn't she want to hate him? He hated humankind for what they'd done to him and to everything they'd ever touched.

"If you were able, would you try to kill me?"

She blinked, rather surprised by the question. "No. That doesn't solve anything."

"It wouldn't make you ... feel better?"

"Did it make _you_ feel better?"

Why did she care about how he "felt"? Human beings were a mystery. No wonder Vash liked being around them – he and they were the same.

"I guess it didn't," she finally said. She looked up to him again, into his eyes this time. "I understand why you'd hate everybody, though. Meryl, she told me a few things about you. How somebody treated you bad when you were a kid."

"It wasn't about that."

Her eyebrows arched. "Oh? I just thought ... Well, I'd be kinda mad if that happened to me. So, if that's not it, then why did you do it?"

He remembered his days on the Project SEEDs ship, when he and Vash were younger, and the abuse they suffered. It only drove Vash closer to Rem and further away from him. They were supposed to rely on one another, not the trash on that ship. He'd spent so much time by himself because of it.

Rem noticed the change in expression on Knives' face. He seemed much sadder than he did before. "You're really lucky to have your family with you," she quietly said. "You're never alone when they're around. I know I said my brother bugged me but I'd give anything to see him right now." She tried to smile. "Anyway ... I'm sorry I bothered you."

"Are you ... her?"

Rem stopped in the doorway and turned around. "Am I who?"

He gazed on the young girl for few moments. "Never mind."

"He asked me the same question." Rem paused when Knives looked to her again. "Whoever she was, she must've been important." With a slight smile, she left the room.

Knives returned his attention to the floor. Why should he ever care about _her_ forgiveness? Why should he care if any of them forgave him? They deserved everything he did – no matter who they were.

Didn't they?

* * *

"Hey, kid," MacGruder greeted with a smile as he caught up with Rem in another corridor. "Guess what?"

Rem shrugged. "What?"

"Ed found your family!" Ed happily declared as she appeared in the corridor behind MacGruder. "Yep, she did!"

Rem's eyes widened a little. "You found them?" she asked, her voice hushed.

Ed nodded. "They've been lookin' for you, too!"

"But ... _how_?"

"Once the Red Dragons were outta the picture, your old man was able to to go the ISSP to try to find you," MacGruder explained. "Ed's been monitoring their computers the last week, hoping to find them -"

"And I did," Ed finished.

MacGruder patted her on the head. "Sharp kid. Linares went to get them, to bring them back here."

A smile appeared on Rem's face and tears filled her eyes. "I'm ... going to see them again ..."

"Didn't I tell you I'd find your father?"

Ed narrowed her eyes at him. "You didn't, _I did_!" she snapped, jerking a thumb at herself.

"All right, all right!" He looked to Rem again. "You'd better get ready to go. Linares shouldn't be too long."

Rem hugged him. "Thank you!" She did the same for Ed. "_Both_ of you!" Smiling broadly, she stepped back. "I should say goodbye to Vash, too."

Ed's smile dimmed. Vash had stayed close by Rem that entire week, to make sure that she was okay. It was just his way. Still, she couldn't help how it made her feel. She looked up to MacGruder when he put a hand on her shoulder.

He glanced at Rem's retreating figure. "You did a good thing for that kid."

She smiled a little. "Everybody needs a family."

"They sure do."

* * *

"Hello?" Rem pushed the door to the room Vash had called home while on the **Bebop** open. She poked her head inside then looked around the entire room. She smiled when she found him sitting in the far corner. "Hi!"

Vash looked up as the girl hesitantly stepped into the room. Immediately, he noted the happiness in her manner. Something had happened.

"Is Meryl here?" She peered behind the door, making sure she hadn't barged in where she shouldn't have.

"She's keeping an eye on Knives." He gestured for her to come in. "I just ... needed some time by myself."

"I'm sorry. I only wanted to say goodbye before my dad got here."

"Your dad?"

"Ed and Mr. MacGruder found him!" She beamed. "He's coming to get me soon." Her smile faded as she approached him. "Is anything wrong?"

Vash averted his gaze. "No."

She knelt in front of him. "You're a bad liar. Has anybody ever told you that?"

After a few moments of silence, he murmured, "You really _do_ remind me of her."

"You said so before. Your brother asked me if I was her."

His eyes widened slightly as he looked to her. "You spoke to him?"

"Uh huh. Who was she, anyway? Was she your mom?"

"Yes. And no."

"She's not around anymore, either?"

He shook his head. "She died when we were young. She died trying to save us and so many others."

Rem's face fell into a sympathetic frown. "I know how you feel," she softly replied. Her eyes shifted back to him. "She's still with me, though."

He nodded absently. "Re – she's still with me, too. I ... dream about her; I _feel _her."

After a pause, Rem brightened. "Did you know that you can see her anytime you want?"

"I ... can?" he asked, puzzled.

She held out a hand to him. "Come on. I'll show you how!"

* * *

"Why are we here?" Vash asked as he followed Rem across the deck of the Bebop. Dusk had fallen and night was well on its way over the planet. The chill in the air didn't seem to bother the girl, though. She only pulled him along.

"I'm gonna show you." She finally stopped at the edge of the deck over-looking the water, then tilted her head back.

Vash followed her gaze to the sky. The stars were beginning to become visible. What were they looking at, though?

"Right there." Rem pointed to a star. "Just to the left of the really bright one – that's my mom." She shifted her gaze to Vash. "Do you see it? The one I mean?"

He nodded.

"My mom told me that when people die, God makes them into stars, so they can watch over us. Whenever we want to see them, we just ... look up." She smiled as she turned her attention back to the star. "When they twinkle like that? It means they're smiling down on us."

Vash looked from the shimmering star to the girl. "How do you know ... which one she is?" he quietly asked.

She shrugged. "It's something you feel. You just ... _know_." Her eyes flicked back to him. "Did you find hers yet?"

He shook his head. "She wouldn't be here, not in this sky. Not now."

"It doesn't really matter when it happened, she's still up there – somewhere. You just have to figure it out." After a minute or two of searching the darkening sky, she pointed. "I bet that's her. The really shiny one – right there. Whoever that is, they're happy."

Vash found the star in question. Oddly enough, he could almost believe that was _his _Rem. She'd always had a distinct glimmer and glow about her in life. His eyes widened slightly when he heard the tune of the song Rem used to sing. It took him a moment to sort out the girl beside him was humming it.

"Where did you learn that?"

"Huh?" She looked up to him. "She used to hum it to us, mostly when she put my brother and me to bed." She smiled. "You know it?"

"You changed the tune."

"No, I didn't. That's how she sang it." She raised an eyebrow. "Did that lady sing it to you, too?"

"Something like it."

"Well ... everybody finds their own way to do things."

"_Ramona_!"

She turned around, then a broad smile lit up her face. "_Daddy_!" The girl rushed into her father's open arms and hugged him as he lifted her up from the deck. "I thought I'd never see you again! _I missed you so much_!"

"And I thought I'd _lost _you!" Saverem replied as he hugged his daughter. Then he noticed Vash standing not far away, watching them. Gently, he put Rem down, never taking his eyes off of the man. "You're the one who's taken care of my daughter this past week?"

He nodded.

He smiled slightly. "Thank you."

"You have a special daughter," Vash quietly said.

Saverem looked down on the girl. "She's her mother."

Rem managed a smile, even though she felt a pang of sadness at the mention of her mother. "Can we go home now, Daddy?"

"Yes, honey. Yes, we sure can." He took his daughter's hand in his and gave one last nod to Vash.

"Good-bye!" Rem called out as she waved to Vash. "You'll find her star one day! I know you will!"

Vash lowered his hand as Rem and her father vanished from the deck. Even though he was happy she was with her family again, he wished she didn't have to leave. She wasn't his Rem, but she was close enough. He turned around, tilted his head back and scanned the stars until he found the one Rem pointed out to him earlier. The star shimmered even more brightly, drawing a smile from him.

_Maybe I already **have** found her star ..._

_

* * *

_

End Chapter Fourteen

Song Title Used: "I Shall Believe" by Sheryl Crow

* * *


	15. From Despair To Where

Chapter Fifteen: "From Despair To Where"

* * *

Three Days Later ...

* * *

"Are you guys _sure_ this is a good idea?" MacGruder asked as he looked from Jet and Spike to Vash. When none of them said anything, he shook his head. "Linares is wrong – you're crazier than I am. _All _of you."

"What else are they supposed to do?" Jet replied. "They can't go back to where they belong."

"And leaving a homicidal maniac free is the solution?" He jerked a thumb in Vash's direction. "With _this_ guy's word that he won't go back to doin' mass genocide?"

"Things are different, Mr. MacGruder," Vash evenly said. "Knives is different. He's ... in a position that he might hear what I have to say."

"And you expect me to walk away based on_ that_?"

"Yeah, we do," Spike answered for Vash. He glanced at the blond then focused on MacGruder. "_We_ won't walk away, though."

"We'll drop in on Earth once in a while," Jet put in. "To make sure everything is all right."

MacGruder sighed. "I'm gonna regret this eventually. I suppose I can give him a chance."

Vash relaxed as he smiled. "Thank you."

"If anything remotely weird happens on Earth, I'll be there, pal," MacGruder added, pointing a finger at him. "Not one more innocent person dies because of this guy. Understand?"

Vash extended a hand to him. "I understand."

MacGruder let go of Vash's hand. "What corner do you guys intend on hiding out in, anyway?"

"Vash looked to Jet and Spike. "Well, there's a small orphanage, out of the way, and the sister has already agree to let us stay with them."

"Orphanage, huh?"

Vash nodded. "She helped us once before and was more than happy to offer it again."

"I guess this is where we part ways." MacGruder shook Jet's hand. "You guys are a weird group of bounty hunters. Weirdest I've ever met, that's for sure."

"We've never been average bounty hunters," Spike replied, a slightly smug smile on his face.

MacGruder patted him on the shoulder. "You'll _never_ be better than me, Spiegel. The sooner you realize that, the happier we'll all be." He smiled. "See you around the universe."

Vash looked over his shoulder as Spike and Jet returned to the **Bebop**. Once they were out of earshot, he turned to MacGruder, who'd begun to walk away.

"Lieutenant Nathaniel James MacGruder, officer in the Martian Army, leader of the assault on Dubois Colony in the year 2072."

MacGruder froze in his tracks. Slowly, he pivoted on his foot and narrowed his eyes on the man. "How in the _hell_ did you know that? Did Linares tell you?"

"No, she didn't."

He grabbed Vash by the coat and yanked him closer. "Then _how _do you know about that?"

"I'm from the future – _your _future." He stared deep into the other man's eyes, recognizing something there. "You'll have to forgive yourself for it someday, or you'll never survive."

He shoved him back. "What would _you_ know about it? How can you say that when you don't have any idea what it_ feels_ like?" He looked away. "I can't get their faces out of my mind some days. Mostly the kids. They were ... "

"Innocent," Vash quietly supplied.

"They _all_ were." His eyes narrowed again. "You're from the future – do you think what I did was worth it? Huh? Do you think it's okay to kill a thousand people for the sake of progress?"

"This isn't about me, it's about you. Do _you _believe that?"

"If I did, I'd still be a soldier and I'd be able to sleep at night."

"One day, you'll have to stop living in your past. You'll never have a future that way."

"What? You gonna wave a magic wand and wipe my memory clean?"

"Things aren't that easy."

"No shit," he muttered.

"They never are, though, when you insist on facing them alone."

MacGruder looked up to him. "What are you talking about?"

"Nate ..." Linares appeared a little ways down the dock. Her arms were folded across her chest and she lifted an eyebrow when he and Vash turned to her. "You ready to go? The ISSP issued a pretty big bounty for a guy terrorizing the colonists near Saturn."

"Maybe you should ask her how she deals with it everyday," Vash suggested, nodding towards Linares. "You weren't the _only_ one there."

MacGruder flicked his gaze to Linares who tapped a foot impatiently on the dock. He remembered the first time he'd met her, when she was nothing more than a corporal. She was such a _kid_ back then. They'd been through a hell of a lot in fifteen years. Too much. And they'd probably go through even more in the next fifteen.

"You can soldier through it," Vash offered quietly. "With help." He offered a smile when the man looked to him. "Goodbye."

He watched Vash head back to the **Bebop**. Since he'd met that guy, he'd never been able to figure him out. It was though he had no concern for himself, it was always about the people around him. MacGruder'd only felt that way about the men and women he'd served with during his military time. And one other person ...

"What was _that_ about?" Linares asked as he joined her on the dock. Her brow furrowed when he looked at her with an expression on his face that she'd never seen before. "Are you all right?"

He glanced over his shoulder, thinking on Vash's words. Eventually, he would have to move beyond it, and it wouldn't be easy. He turned to Linares then, after a moment, he smiled.

"So ... how much money are we lookin' at here?" he asked as he threw an arm around her shoulders as they headed for their ship. "I'm thinkin' – if you and I start saving – we could retire from this pretty soon."

She blinked. "Retire? _You_?" She laughed. "Those are terms I don't put together, Nate. It's just not ... _you_."

"Maybe I've changed, Linares," he replied. "People can do that."

"Again, not you."

"Yes, even me."

She blinked again as she came to a halt. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked, placing a hand to his forehead.

"Never better," he assured her. "Let's go help somebody."

Linares shook her head as she watched him walk away. Whatever had gotten into him, she hoped it would stick around. For a long time, too.

* * *

Meryl placed the cup on the stand behind Faye's bed then sat down on the mattress next to the other woman. "You sure you're well enough to go down to the surface with us?"

Faye nodded. "I feel fine."

"You've only been out of the hospital two days, though."

She shrugged. "The miracles of modern medicine."

Meryl smiled. She had a suspicion that it was more than just 'modern medicine' responsible for the change in Faye's attitude.

"What do you think will happen next?"

"I don't know. Vash isn't even sure what Knives will do. Everything is so _different _between them ..."

Faye noticed the look on Meryl's face. "Something else is bothering you, though."

She let her gaze settle on the floor. "It's Milly. You remember her, don't you?"

"Yeah. Ed loved to play with her. What's the matter?"

She sighed heavily. "Vash and I ... she never knew what happened to us, about the time travel. If she ever came after us, she probably thinks we're dead." She closed her eyes briefly. "She has her own family, but it's ... "

"It's not the same as the family she had with you," Faye supplied when Meryl fell silent. "I understand how it is."

"I thought you ... remembered everything?"

"Not everything. I remember faces, places and events. My name – my _real_ name – hasn't come back to me. Without that, I can't locate anyone who might still be alive. Anyone who would _know_ me ... "

"In time, it will. Have faith."

Faye smiled a little. "Don't worry, I do." Her gaze shifted to the beta tape sitting on top of the monitor on the other side of her quarters. "Meryl ..."

"What?" She noted the the expression on Faye's face. "What is it?"

"I have an idea about how you can let Milly know you and Vash are still alive."

* * *

Earth - Sister Clara's Orphanage

* * *

"We can't thank you enough for this, Sister," Meryl said as she eagerly shook the nun's hand. "We'll do anything we possibly can to help out with the children."

Clara kindly smiled as she looked from Meryl to Vash. "You needn't worry about anything. We're more than happy to have you stay with us."

Vash cast an uneasy glance towards the corridor. In one of the back rooms was Knives. He'd been isolated within it since they'd arrived ten minutes ago.

"You shouldn't trouble yourself about him," Clara said as she placed a hand on Vash's arm, gaining his attention. "These things are in God's Hands. He wouldn't have brought you to me if the children would be in danger."

Vash weakly nodded. Certainly Knives' behavior had changed in the last week, but that didn't mean he couldn't fall back to his old ways. "Thank you, Sister."

Clara let go of him. "You should say goodbye to your friends. I'm sure they don't plan on staying here with you." She gave him one last supportive smile then went outside to join the playing orphans.

Spike eyed Vash as he and Meryl approached. "Guess this is it for a while?"

"For a while." Vash looked from him to Jet then, finally, Faye. "Thank you. I don't know how to repay you for everything you've done."

Spike took a drag off his cigarette. "You could cough up 300 million woolongs, for starers," he deadpanned. He saw the look Jet gave him. "What? I'm_ kidding_. A joke." He rolled his eyes.

Jet shook his head then put out a hand to Vash. "You ever need anything, the sister knows how to find us."

"I know." A moment later, he gave Jet a hug instead. "I appreciate it."

Hesitantly, Jet patted Vash's back. The overly-touchy nature of the man still made him uncomfortable. Apparently, it still made Spike laugh, too. He ignored the chuckling beside him. "Take care of yourself, Vash." He looked to Meryl. "You'll keep an eye on him?"

She smiled. "Of course."

Jet gave the pair one last glance then left the orphanage.

Faye raised an eyebrow when Vash stepped in front of her.

"I never thanked you for what you did in the church," he said.

Her face flushed as she looked away. "I don't even know _why_ I did it -" She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Slowly, she lifted her gaze.

"Thank you, Faye. You have no idea how much that one act changed things, especially where Knives is concerned."

She swallowed. "Guess it was bound to rub off, all of that _stupidity_ of yours," she casually replied. She managed a small smile. "Look at Wolfwood." She felt the tears stinging her eyes.

He nodded. She didn't need to explain it – he knew what she'd meant. She now understood what that day meant for the priest.

Quickly, Faye placed a kiss to one of Vash's cheeks. "Goodbye," she whispered. As she stepped back, she exchanged a knowing glance with Meryl. Over the course of the last two weeks, they'd come to understand one another very well.

Meryl nodded in response. She watched Faye slip out then looked to Vash. Her gaze shifted over to Spike, then she cleared her throat. "Um ... I'll see where Ed is ... " she quietly murmured. With that, she left the two men alone.

Spike exhaled a cloud of smoke as he looked from the open doorway to Vash. He chuckled. "Ironic, huh?"

"What is?"

"All of this." He gestured to himself then Vash. "Everything." He took one last drag on his cigarette. "Years ago, when I left the Syndicate, I never imagined my life would turn out like this."

"Hardly anything ever does."

Spike nodded thoughtfully. "So ... you're fine being stuck in the past with no chance of ever getting back to where you belong?"

"I don't see it that way." Vash looked around the room. "The past is now the present. As for being where I belong ..." He met the other man's gaze again. " ... the place doesn't matter, not as much as those who are with me."

Spike dropped the cigarette butt to the floor and snuffed it out with his shoe. "I'll give you this, Vash – your sense of optimism is unbelievable."

"And what about yours? Will you finally have a future?"

Spike shoved his hands in his pockets as he considered the question. The slate of his past was nearly clean. Not completely, but enough to allow him to move forward. And his present, well, it had fallen together better than expected.

"I'll let you know when I get there," he answered.

Vash smiled.

"Vashy?"

He and Spike turned towards the doorway when they heard Ed speak. The girl stood just inside of the room, an expression of guarded apprehension on her face.

Spike used a hand to clap Vash on the shoulder. "See you around," he casually said. As he walked by Ed, he ruffled the girl's hair on his way out.

Ed glanced over her should then turned back to Vash. "You're really staying here?" she asked as she came closer.

"Yes."

"Does that mean I can see you anytime I want?"

Vash knelt to her level, a more solemn look on his face as he shook his head. "No, Ed. You shouldn't come here too much. It's not only dangerous for us, but it might be dangerous to your friends here."

Ed frowned. "Why? I thought your brother was gonna be a good guy now?"

"He might. Knives isn't the real problem. If you visit a lot, other people will notice. Meryl and I have to stay out of the way of history. If something else is changed because we're here - " He paused when he saw the look on her face. She didn't understand, not fully. "It's just safer that way."

She nodded, but that didn't stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. "You're here and then you're not. It isn't _fair_."

"I'm sorry it has to be this way, Ed." He managed to keep his own tears at bay as he took the girl's hands into his. "But you had a life all ready for you before you ever met me. You have to find it and live it." One hand rested on a tear-laden cheek. "Do you understand?"

She sniffled. "What if my life was supposed to have you in it?" she inquired, her voice catching in her throat.

His face softened even more. "It doesn't." He stopped her from looking away. "I will always care about you, Ed. That's why I'm telling you this. You can't keep coming back here – your future isn't on this planet."

The girl threw her arms around his neck and she hugged him. Fresh tears fell from her eyes. "I love you, Vashy," she whispered. "Not like I love anybody else ..."

He knew that tone, how she meant those words: I love you. A girl he'd known on Gunsmoke, Jessica, she had that same tone in hers whenever she said she loved him. Ed wasn't the same girl anymore, she was becoming a young woman, one experiencing new feelings.

"You'll love someone else," he quietly assured her. "I promise, you will." He felt his heart sink when the girl wriggled away from him. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to say, but she couldn't ruin her life. He couldn't let it happen, either, not because of him.

"Do you ... love Meryl?" Ed's voice, barely above a whisper, asked.

He lifted his head and looked the girl in the eyes. "Yes, I do."

She wiped away her tears with one hand and let out a shaky breath. "I thought so," she sighed. "Does she make you happy?"

"Yes."

A nod. A moment later, something resembling a weak smile appeared on Ed's face. "Then ... I guess it's okay ..." She sniffled again. Even so, it didn't mean she wasn't hurting inside. But if Meryl was who made him happy, that's who Ed wanted him to be with forever.

Outside, Meryl brushed tears of her own away upon hearing Ed's response. Not only because the girl seemed ready to deal with life without Vash, but she was so mature as to put his happiness before her own. Ed truly was a genius child.

"Vashy?"

She leaned against the wall as she continued to listen to them.

"What?"

"Is it okay if ... I love you for a little while longer?"

A hand went to Meryl's mouth and a smile came to her face when she heard Vash laugh, a real laugh, for the first time in weeks.

"Yes, Ed. It's okay if you do."

Meryl backed away from the door as she heard footsteps approaching. A moment later, Vash and Ed exited the building. She smiled at them. Judging by the look on Vash's face, he knew she'd been listening to them. He didn't seem to mind, though.

"Goodbye, Merry-Meryl!" Ed called out. The girl kept waving as she ran across the desolate wasteland to join the rest of the **Bebop** crew, who were waiting by their personal spaceships. "_Bye_!"

Sister Clara joined the couple. They were understandably in a better mood than when she'd first met them. Especially Vash. She knew they would be all right, it was a feeling she couldn't explain.

"We should go inside," Clara said after a moment. "You two must be hungry."

As they entered, the rest of the children filed in behind them, chattering and laughing noisily.

"Get outta my chair, Kit!" one of the boys commanded as he tried to force the girl out.

"Jack!" Clara sighed. "Excuse me," she apologized to Vash and Meryl. She approached the table, scolding the boy for his behavior. "Haven't I told you that young gentlemen don't treat young ladies that way?"

"She ain't a lady, _she's in my spot_!" the boy declared.

Meryl couldn't help but laugh and it felt good to do it. The last few months held so little joy for any of them. As she looked to Vash, she found him staring in the opposite direction. She followed his gaze until hers settled on a young, dark-haired boy, who stared at Wolfwood's cross leaned against the wall.

"Vash ..." she softly said as he moved towards the boy. Her mood changed, reverting back to sadness, as she watched him. Even after everything, he still hadn't come to terms with the lost off the priest.

_How long are you going to torture yourself, Vash?_

The boy turned his head when he noticed Vash beside him. The dark eyes met the blonde's and Vash saw familiar pain in the child's. "Who did it belong to?" the boy inquired.

"A friend of mine."

"Was he like Sister Clara?"

Vash paused, thinking on his friend before answering. "Yes."

"Then he must've been a good person. The sister takes in any kid who isn't wanted anymore. Or who doesn't have a home." He pressed a flat palm to the spine of the cross. "Is there something inside?"

"Something that should never be used." He looked down on the boy again. The child had a strange expression on his face. "Are you all right?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know ... I just feel like -" He stopped and bowed his head. "Never mind."

Vash squatted down so he was on the boy's level. "What did you want to say?"

He sighed heavily. "It's too weird."

"You can tell me."

He lifted his gaze to the cross and tilted his head to one side. "I feel like ... it _belongs_ to me ... somehow."

Vash's brow furrowed. What would make the boy think that? Then, as he started at the child's profile, he saw something else familiar. Before he could say anything, Clara spoke.

"Nicholas ..." She offered a kind smile as the boy looked over his shoulder. "You're going to miss lunch. Come along." She held out a hand to him, smiling a little more when he accepted it.

Wide-eyed, Vash rose to his feet as Clara sat the young boy down in the last open chair at the table. _Did she just call him ..._ He blinked. _No. It's like the girl, he's only similar in look and name. It **couldn't** be ..._

"Is everything all right?"

He snapped out of his daze when he Clara appeared in front of him. "You called him ..."

"Nicholas. Is something wrong with that?"

"N-no." He glanced at the child. "He ... reminds me of someone I used to know. He ... he had the same name."

"Nicholas isn't uncommon." Clara paused, the added, "If I told you his last name is 'Wolfwood', would that make a difference?" She nodded at the reaction that garnered from him. "It would seem so."

He turned to the cross. "He told me that it felt like it belonged to him. Sister ... he couldn't be -"

"No, it isn't." Her expression softened, becoming more sympathetic. "We all have our crosses to bear. Some must do it alone, either by choice or not." She placed a hand on his arm. "Whatever guilt you continue to carry for your friend, you have to let it go."

"I can't."

"I don't mean for you to forget him. Take it and turn it into something else. You've done so much for every other life you've touched that way. Are you able to do it for yourself?" She placed the hand to his left cheek. "Stop carrying his cross for him – he gave it up, in his own way, by choice."

Vash shifted his attention back to the boy, Nicholas, who absently poked at his food while the rest of the children enjoyed themselves. "Turn it into something else ..."

"Yes." She let her hand drop to her side. "He's a lonely child, abandoned by a father who refused to care for him. Maybe ... you could help?"

He nodded. "I could try."

"That's all you really need to do." She went back to the table. "Samantha, leave Daniel alone. I won't tell you two to behave again today."

"Yes, Sister Clara," both children murmured in reply.

Vash looked to the corridor which lead to the back room where Knives was holed-up. Yes. He would have to turn it into something else. He had too many important people counting on him ...

* * *

Knives' head lifted when the door opened. He already knew who it was long before Vash ever reached the room. It was the mixed blessing of being so closely connected to his brother.

"Are you ..."

"I don't know," Knives answered before the whole question could be asked. He looked away. "How do you think I ... feel?"

"I can't say. But since you _do _feel, that's a good thing." Vash closed the door behind him. "It means you're not completely lost."

"I'll _never_ be like you," Knives simply stated. He stared at his opened hands, shaking his head. "I'm still sickened by the fact that I share a similar form with ... _them_."

"No one expects you to change overnight. It took longer than that for you to become this way."

"And if I don't change into what you _want _me to be? What then?" He lifted his head again, his eyes settling on Vash. "What will you do? Give up?"

"I'll never give up on you, Knives."

He stared at Vash for a long moment. Part of him wanted to laugh at his brother's naïve optimism. But another part, one that had been awakened in the past week, was rather ... touched by it. "No, I suppose not. It isn't in your nature. You always were ..."

Inwardly, Vash cringed as he waited for the inevitable deriding comment. He was surprised by what he heard, instead.

"... the strong one."

Had Knives said that _he_ was stronger? Was it another mind game? A new, cruel plan to torture him? As he looked into his brother's eyes, he still saw the malice within them, but it wasn't as concrete as before. His new feelings had him in a turmoil.

Knives sat up a little as Vash unbuttoned and removed his dust-covered red coat. He eyed his brother as he approached, wondering what Vash intended to do. He had his own surprise when Vash draped the coat around his shoulders.

"What are you ...?"

"She told me the color represented 'determination'," Vash explained. He put a hand on Knives' shoulder. "You need it more than I do."

Knives looked from the coat to the face of his brother. Vash had that glimmer in his eyes, the one he'd seen in Rem Saverem's all of the time. The girl, the one who resembled her, she'd spoken of the importance of family. He never truly understood what that mean until that moment.

"Thank you ... brother."

* * *

Gunsmoke - The Future

* * *

"It's official!" Milly Thompson brightly beamed as she and the young nun, Sister Ana, gazed up at the orphanage. "After so long, we finally have our new building!"

"And it wouldn't have been possible without your help, Milly." The nun looked to the woman. "Really, the last seven years have been such a blessing for us here. I thank God every day that He sent you to us."

Milly flushed. "I haven't done _that_ much."

Ana nodded her head. "You've have and more." The nun gazed at the children playing in the yard of the new orphanage. "So many children will have a nice and loving place to live until they find homes."

"Anything I can do to make their lives better." Milly's smile dimmed as she remembered her friends. "It's what they would've wanted."

"Your friends, the ones you lost?"

"Yes." Life had been hard without Vash and Meryl. She never thought she would emerge from her depression, until she found a place she was needed - with Sister Ana and her struggling orphanage in the old Iowa territory.

"You know," Ana said after a few moments of silence. "We haven't a proper name for our orphanage yet." She slid her gaze to Milly. "Why don't _you_ do the honors?"

"Me?" Milly blinked, stunned. "Oh, I couldn't! I mean ..._you_ should."

"No. This place wouldn't be here without you." Ana gestured to the building. "You've earned the right. What should we call our haven for lost children?"

The tall woman considered it and only one possibility presented itself. "The Nicholas D. Wolfwood Memorial Orphanage," she quietly said. She nodded, satisfied. "Yes. That's the right name."

The sister smiled once more. "Then that's what it will be."

"Excuse me."

The two women turned when someone addressed them. Standing behind them, with a tattered bag slung over her shoulder, was a very pretty young blonde woman.

"Would one of you be Milly Thompson?" she hopefully inquired.

"I'm Milly," Milly replied, raising her hand slightly. Who was this girl? She was sure she didn't know her, she would've remembered such bright blue eyes.

"Great! I've been asking _all over_ the last three towns about you!" The girl sighed in relief. She saw the expression on Milly's face. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't even introduce myself. My name is Jessica." She glanced at the nun. "Could I speak to you for a moment? Inside?"

"Y-yes, I suppose so." Milly looked at Ana, a bit confused at what was going on. "Come with me." As they headed for the building, she asked, "Do I know you from somewhere?"

Jessica shook her head. "No. You don't know me. We share a friend, though. Vash."

Milly stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide. "_Vash_?"

"Yep. He used to stay on the ship with us from time to time. I know a lot about you, Ms. Thompson."

It made sense now. This young woman was from the ship that had hovered in the sky until about a year ago. The power source keeping it aloft finally gave out and those aboard were forced to join the world on the surface. They'd established a town of their own several hundred iles to the west. The only town on the entire planet absolutely free of crime.

"Have you ... seen him?" Milly cautiously asked. What if he was alive? Did that mean Meryl was too? She could only hope ...

"In a way." She dug into the bag slung over her shoulder and held up a small disc. "I'm here to show you this. It explains everything!" Jessica smiled as she headed into the orphanage with her. Once inside, she sat down at the rectangular table, pulled a small computer with a monitor from the bag and slipped the disc into the machine. "Just give it a minute to start up."

Milly stood behind Jessica, glancing from the computer booting up to the woman. "How did you find me?"

"Just asked around. You'd be surprised at how many people know you or know _of _you. Anyway, I finally ended up here." She looked to the computer as it beeped. "It's ready. You ... you might want to sit down."

Milly pulled up a chair and watched the monitor. A moment after Jessica hit a button, Vash, along with Meryl, appeared onscreen. Gasping, her hands flew to her mouth.

"Hi, Milly!" Meryl brightly greeted as she waved. "If you're watching this, that means Vash's friends on the ship found our message in the computer's memory banks and you!"

"We're alive!" Vash chimed in.

Meryl looked over to him. "I think she can figure that out for herself," she grumbled.

"Oh!" He laughed. "Sorry."

Tears filled Milly's eyes as she gazed in disbelief at the screen. "But ... how ... where ...?"

"You've probably been wondering what happened to us that day," Meryl continued as she looked back to the camera. Her expression became more melancholy. "I can't imagine how you must've felt ... when we vanished without a trace. We never meant to leave you alone, Milly ..."

"It's a long story," Vash said. "One you're about to hear."

"I hope you're doing all right, _whenever_ you are," Meryl picked up. She sighed. "Luckily, from where_ we _are, we were able to do this." She gestured to the camera in front of her. "To give you a message and let you know that we didn't die. Well ... since we're in the past and you're in the future ..."

The tears streamed down Milly's cheeks as she listened to her old supervisor, her friend, her family, speak. She wondered if she might be in a dream. For so long, she'd mourned the loss. Despite the fact she could've gone back to her job, to her family, she didn't. She stayed a part of the world they'd introduced her to, she wanted to do something "out there". Now, after seven long years, she had them in front of her again. Alive.

"We'll explain _everything_," Vash assured her.

The woman pulled her chair closer to the monitor, her undivided attention on Meryl as she began their story.

"It all started when we ended up in the past ... "

* * *

**_The End_**

Song Title Used: "From Despair To Where" by Manic Street Preachers

* * *

**Author's Note:** After over a year of working on it, I've finally finished it! I do hope you enjoyed the sequel and that it was worth waiting for. Believe me, the story you just read was a FAR cry from the one I'd originally planned to write. Much better storywise, IMHO.

You probably noticed I left no real closure or even an Epilogue. I don't believe in Epilogues, as it's more fun to leave it open-ended. Also, I haven't written myself into a corner if, later on down the road, I come up with a fantabulous idea for ANOTHER sequel!

I thank you for taking time out of your life to read my fic, any of it, really. I appreciate the comments and feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy my stories because I certainly love writing them.

Net Girl


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